Opened on February 9th 1908, the Palau de la Música Catalana is one of the most representative buildings of Catalan Modernist style.

Built between 1905 and 1908 by the architect, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, as a headquarters for the Orfeó Català and funded by popular donations, it constitutes a symbolic and sentimental heritage of an entire city that identifies with its history. In addition, the Concert Hall - one of the most unique ones in the world - has been the privileged stage for the national and international concert life of the city of Barcelona for one hundred years.

Over the last two decades the renewal of Barcelona's Palau de la Música Catalana has been fostered in artistic, structural and heritage terms. In artistic terms, with the renewal of the choir of the Orfeó Català, the creation of the chamber choir of the Palau de la Música Catalana in 1990 and the choir school of the Orfeó Català in 1999. In structural terms, through public-private co-operation to set up the Palau de la Música Catalana consortium in 1993 to take on the management and operation of the concert auditorium and the administration of the Palau de la Música Catalana building, and also through the creation of the Orfeó Català-Palau de la Música foundation in 1990 in order to gather the resources needed to develop the choirs of the Orfeó Català and organise 150 concerts at the Palau de la Música, highlights among these including the Palau 100 cycles and Les Escoles al Palau (Schools at the Palau). In heritage terms, by carrying out work to adapt and extend the Palau under the direction of the architect Oscar Tusquets, completed in 1989, and through the ambitious “Un Palau per al segle XXI” (“A Palau for the 21st century”) project leading to the opening of the Petit Palau auditorium and the Plaça del Palau on 22nd April 2004.

The Palau de la Música Catalana, full of light and of colour, is also today, a cultural asset that is open to the world, whose halls and areas host concerts of all genres and styles, cultural, social and business events, congresses, conferences, exhibitions, etc. This is why it is a point of reference in the cultural and social life of the city of Barcelona.

The Palau is located on a cramped street, the Carrer de Sant Francesc de Paula, in the section of old Barcelona known as La Ribera. It stands out there not only because it is such an exuberant building but also because the buildings that surround it are rather dull. Most of the other prominent modernisme buildings, those designed by Antoni Gaudí, for example, are located in the chic 19-century extension of the city known as the Eixample.

The design of the Palau is typical of Catalan modernism in that curves predominate over straight lines, dynamic shapes are preferred over static forms, and rich decoration that emphasizes floral and other organic motifs is used extensively. In contrast to many other buildings built in the modernisme style, however, it must also be said that the design of the Palau is eminently rational. It pays strict attention to function and makes full use of the most up-to-date materials and technologies available at the beginning of the 20th century (e.g., steel framing). As Benton (1986, 58) has pointed out, "To eyes unaccustomed to the architecture of Barcelona, the impression of a riot of ornament lacking any logic or control seems overwhelming. And yet the building follows exactly the exhortations of the [architectural] rationalists. The structure, in brick and iron, is clearly expressed." Actually, its walls are the first example of curtain wall structures.

The wealthy citizens of Barcelona, who were becoming ever more sympathetic to the Renaixença at the time the Palau was built, asked its architect for building materials and techniques that symbolized the Catalan character. In response, he commissioned and gave great creative freedom to a variety of local artisans and craftsmen to produce the fabulous ornamentation, sculpture, and decorative structural elements for which the Palau is famous.

The rich decoration of the façade of the Palau, which incorporates elements from many sources, including traditional Spanish and Arabic architecture, is successfully married with the building's structure. The exposed red brick and iron, the mosaics, the stained glass, and the glazed tiles were chosen and situated to give a feeling of openness and transparency. Even Miguel Blay's massive sculptural group symbolizing Catalan music on the corner of the building does not impede the view into or out from the interior (see photograph). As Carandell and co-authors (2006, 20) have pointed out, in the Palau "the house as a defense and protected inner space has ceased to exist."

Two colonnades enjoy a commanding position on the second-level balcony of the main façade. Each column is covered uniquely with multicolored glazed tile pieces in mostly floral designs and is capped with a candelabrum that at night blazes with light (see photograph). Above the columns are large busts of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Ludwig van Beethoven on the main façade and Richard Wagner on the side. The top of the main façade is graced by a large allegoric mosaic by Lluís Bru that represents the members of the Orfeó Català, but it is impossible to see it clearly from the narrow street below.

Originally, guests entered the Palau from the street through two arches supported by thick pillars that opened into the vestibule. The former ticket windows, which are located in the center pillar, are beautiful concentric arches adorned with floral mosaics of various materials created by Lluís Bru.

The Palau de la Música Catalana organises daily guided tours of the Modernist Concert hall and, when available, Lluís Millet Hall and the Chamber Music Hall. Making your way through the rambling and narrow streets of the La Ribera area at the top of El Born you may stumble across the Palau de la Musica. From the outside alone it is an impressive building with its old and new sections sitting side by side in perfect harmony. Tours are escorted with the guide and a security guard to ensure that this rule is followed. But here is a secret - if you book tickets to an afternoon concert, which are provided at a lesser cost than the tour, you will get to see much the same as you would on the tour (including the stained glass dome), hear a concert and the phenomenal acoustics for yourself, and save a bundle.

Barcelona has been hailed as the architect lover's vacation, and the Palau de la Musica Catalana is no exception. It is another example of the magnificent spirit of Barcelona and the place is a must-see as a sightseeing stop, no matter if you love classic music or just walk by on a tourist travel, stop to have a coffee and just look around. The Musical Palace is loved from both the citizens of Barcelona and the tourists. You can get there via direct flight to Barcelona or to Girona, Reus or Lleida –Alguaire.