Palau de la Música Catalana - exterior
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was built in 1908 by Domènech i Montaner as a home for the Orfeó Català, the Catalan Choral Society, as an alternative to Barcelona's more aristocratic Liceu opera house. The Palau is in a side street just off the very busy Via Laeitana. An auditorium built in 1908 to house the Orfeo Catalan choir, this complex confection, a product of Catalonia's Renaixenca (Renaissance) cultural movement, commands great attention and affection from visitors. It's red brick exterior is decorated with a profusion of colorful floral mosaics and the busy ornamentation that marks Barcelonan architecture from the Gaudi era. It is one of the few theaters or music halls worldwide to have been declared a World Heritage Site. El Palau remains to this day one of the shining ornaments of the Renaixenca, celebrating Catalonian culture throughout the year with orchestral and choral offerings
