Coloured windows at the Cripta de la Colònia Güell, just outside of Barcelona.

Colònia Güell was an artificial community founded in 1890 that combined both living facilities with work in a factory producing textiles. It is an example of social changes at the end of the 19th century that increasingly led to the idea that providing for workers was both a social imperative as well as a means to improve production.

The church for the site was designed by Gaudí and constructed between 1898 and 1915 using his trademark style that combines a very organic structure using natural arches with decorative finishes made from fragments of glazed pottery. However, perhaps the most eye-catching feature today is the ensemble of colourful stained glass windows:

The church is relatively small and, because of restoration work, difficult to photograph well from outside at present. However, as with much of Gaudí’s work, the design is striking:

Colònia Güell is located in the Baix Llobregat, and is a short train ride from Plaça España in Barcelona. For visitor information see the official Colònia Güell web site.

Apologies for yet another “filler” tourist post. It has been a long week here, with three somewhat stressful nights without food or sleep, and 4am encounters with a drug-addled knife wielding lunatic. However, it looks as if finally the troubles that started a year ago may finally be resolved, and I will post more about this when eventually the legal processes are settled.