The Modernista Sant Pau Complex is a hospital building in Barcelona that was built between 1905 and 1930 and designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner as a garden city for nursing the sick.
It was used as a public hospital for a century and has been recently refurbished and repurposed as a knowledge campus and the headquarters of international organisations including the European Forest Institute, the Casa Àsia, the Global University Network for Innovation, and the United Nations University Institute on Globalization, Culture and Mobility.
A stunning art-nouveau architectural complex that was awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1997, it is a beautiful place to visit, wander and in which to take pictures. If you have found a vacation rental in Barcelona and are looking to visit an attraction that is a little off the beaten tourist track, or you are an architecture aficionado, it is a must-see.
It was used as a public hospital for a century and has been recently refurbished and repurposed as a knowledge campus and the headquarters of international organisations including the European Forest Institute, the Casa Àsia, the Global University Network for Innovation, and the United Nations University Institute on Globalization, Culture and Mobility.
A stunning art-nouveau architectural complex that was awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1997, it is a beautiful place to visit, wander and in which to take pictures. If you have found a vacation rental in Barcelona and are looking to visit an attraction that is a little off the beaten tourist track, or you are an architecture aficionado, it is a must-see.
Begin your visit in the exhibition space in the Sant Salvador Pavilion, where the history of medicine and the hospital itself is laid out. Then move on to the upper floor, where there is a contemporary installation symbolising a dragon, which is a tribute to Lluís Domènech i Montaner who was a key Modernist architect who worked in the Catalan Art Nouveau style. Rightfully, you should then continue outdoors to the exterior spaces of the Art Nouveau Site, where the garden city model designed in the early 20th century has been reproduced.
Following this, you can move on to the Sant Rafael Pavilion, which recreates hospital wards from the 1920s. You can also explore the underground tunnels that link the various buildings and head to the beautiful ornamented heritage spaces of the Administration Pavilion. To get the most out of the experience, there is a great audio guide that you can rent, which is available in six languages; Catalan, Spanish, English, French, German and Japanese.
Following this, you can move on to the Sant Rafael Pavilion, which recreates hospital wards from the 1920s. You can also explore the underground tunnels that link the various buildings and head to the beautiful ornamented heritage spaces of the Administration Pavilion. To get the most out of the experience, there is a great audio guide that you can rent, which is available in six languages; Catalan, Spanish, English, French, German and Japanese.
Beautiful, peaceful and a serious architectural gem, this lesser-known complex of buildings is another feather in Barcelona's cap and shouldn't be missed!
Opening hours:
November – March: Monday to Saturday, 9.30am to 4.30pm. Sundays and holidays, 9.30am to 2.30pm.
April – October: Monday to Saturday, 9.30am to 6.30pm. Sundays and holidays, 9.30 to 2.30pm.
January 1st and 6th, December 25th, closed.
Opening hours:
November – March: Monday to Saturday, 9.30am to 4.30pm. Sundays and holidays, 9.30am to 2.30pm.
April – October: Monday to Saturday, 9.30am to 6.30pm. Sundays and holidays, 9.30 to 2.30pm.
January 1st and 6th, December 25th, closed.
Photo credits
picture 1: Susi4 / CC BY-SA 2.5 ES;
picture 2: Geobia / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 3: Susi4 / CC BY-SA 2.5 ES
picture 1: Susi4 / CC BY-SA 2.5 ES;
picture 2: Geobia / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 3: Susi4 / CC BY-SA 2.5 ES