ROUTE 4

PALACE OF MNAC The

Palace

The Palau National is the most spectacular building in Spain Square. It was built for the Universal Exposition of 1929,with the intent to build a monumental building. The architects were Enric Català and Pedro Cendoya, with the collaboration of Pere Domènech i Roure. The palace has undergone some restorations by the Italian architect Gae Aulenti, and now houses the Catalonia National Art Museum (MNAC).

 Medieval

Painting

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The museum has probably the greatest display of Romanesque items in the world, centred around a series of magnificent 12th century frescoes. The most remarkable are the wall paintings from Sant Climent de Taüll and Santa Maria de Taüll.

There’s also an expanding Gothic collection besides works by El Greco, Zurbarán and Velázquez. The museum also houses the entire body of 20th century art, furniture and sculpture.

We strongly recommend the Romanesque and the Modernist period.

ROMANESQUE Catalonia’s fine art has a long tradition. It began where Spanish medieval painting was born- in the Pyrenees, where Romanesque churches were brightened by bold frescoes full of imagination.

PAINTINGS AND SCUPTURES YOU WILL SEE..

19TH CENTURY- MODENISM 

Barcelona’s art school opened above La Llotja in 1849 and new patrons of the arts appeared with wealth generated by the industrial revolution.

Among the most outstanding artist, we could mention Marià Fortuny, who had lived in Rome and Paris . He had lived the first Impressionist exhibition in Paris and had a great influence on the painters who featured the Modernist movement: Santiago Rusiñol and Ramon Casas.

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History In the historic context of the Primo de Rivera dictatorship and the 1929 International Exhibition, it was decided to build a village in MontjuĂŻc that would become a synthesis of Spanish architecture and a craft showcase for Spain. It was preserved after the impact it made and because of the many voices who spoke out against its destruction. It was planned as a group of frames drawn from Spanish popular architecture which would be incorporated in a kind of collage.

The builders of the site, the architects Ramon Revent贸s and Francesc Folguera and the artists Xavier Nogu茅s and Miquel Utrillo, tried to make a village where buildings representing the different regions of Spain would be reproduced. The four professionals made several trips around Spain to collect pictorial material. Along the way, they made hundreds of photographs, notes and drawings that made it possible to choose the elements best suited to the idea they had to put into effect.

 AT

PRESENT

Not only was the Village not demolished at the end of the Exhibition, but it also survived . And now it has celebrated the seventy-fifth anniversary of its opening, the aim of capturing the attention of visitors continues to be the motto of this singular attraction.

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Introduction Sitges is a small city about 35 kilometers southwest of

Barcelona known worldwide for its Film Festival and Carnival. The city is between the hills and the sea it is known for its beaches, gay nightspots, and historical sites.

The

Carnival

For over a century, Sitges has been celebrating nonstop Carnestoltes, or Carnival.

Culture Modern Sitges, preserving important references from the Middle Age and the old farmers’ and fishermen’s town, offers visitors an impressive architectural and cultural heritage, the result of initiatives by artists, cultural energizers and patrons like Santiago Rusiñol, Ramon Casas, Miquel Utrillo or Charles Deering.

The

Beaches

Sitges has 17 sand beaches.

There are urban beaches and two in the west, which have difficult access. The last one (Playa del Muerto) is the gay beach.

Gastronomy

Xató is Sitges' most typical dish. It appeared in the press for the first time in 1896. The report refers to a meal that had gathered together a selected group of Catalan artists and intellectuals, Santiago Rusiñol, Miquel Utrillo, Gaietà Buigas and others.