Gaudí UNESCO World Heritage building to be opened to public

The only Unesco World Heritage work by Antoni Gaudí that is not yet open to the public is La Casa Vicens in the Gràcia district of Barcelona. A project from the architect's youth, it has remained inaccessible to the general public due to its status as a private house except on special occasions, such as during Gaudí year in 2002. In 2014, however, the Andorran bank MoraBanc purchased it with the aim of turning it into a monument open to visitors.

Following an exhaustive study of the state of the property and after waiting for building permits for this listed building, La Casa Vicens has now finally been fully restored and will open its doors in autumn of this year, as announced by its director, Joan Abellà yesterday. Abellà joined the project in the summer, having been the manager of the MACBA for many years.

“La Casa Vicens is now a reality,” said Abellà. “Opening it means that we can guarantee sufficient quality so that everyone can enjoy it as much as possible, bearing in mind that we must ensure sustainable tourism.“ Restoration work will amount to €4 million by the time it opens.

Visits will mostly be via advance purchase and traffic flows will not allow more than 500 visitors a day. “We are committed to ensuring that 20% of visitors are locals,” said Abellà.