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Awesome Facts You Need To Know About Antoni Gaudí
If there ever was a patron saint of Barcelona, it would have to be Antoni Gaudí. While most people are familiar with his work incorporating colorful mosaics, natural elements, and skeleton balconies, the man behind the surreal buildings (and park) remains relatively mysterious. While some of these points will sound familiar, there are others that will be surprising to even the most fervent fans of the master of surrealist architecture.
He was a strict vegetarian
Gaudí was a vegetarian way before tempeh became the new tofu, but his motivations were less animal rights and more health-instigated. He was plagued by poor health for most of his life (counting rheumatism as one of his ailments), which led to adopting vegetarianism, a diet much lauded (and occasionally attributed to) Dr. Kneipp, a German priest who believed in natural medicine and hydrotherapy.
He refused any medical help for his ailment, subsisting on lettuce leaves sprinkled with olive oil and some nuts. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the healthiest way to approach the diet, and it occasionally led to more serious illnesses.
He was often mistaken for a beggar, which ultimately led to his death
The young Gaudí was a stylish young man, dressing in expensive suits, touting a strong hair game, and gallivanting about turn-of-the-century Barcelona. Unfortunately, like most people, he slowly changed as the years passed. A series of hardships – from deaths of loved ones to economic hard times to work troubles – eventually made the one-time man-about-town into a frugal homebody who neglected his wardrobe.
He was struck by a tram on one of his daily walks and didn’t receive much medical attention until the next day when the chaplain of the Sagrada Família identified him as the famous architect he was. By that time, his injuries had progressed past salvage, and he ultimately passed away three days later. Why was he ignored for so long? People mistook the shabbily dressed man for a beggar.
He was politically active, fighting for Catalonian culture
It’s been said that Catalan men are fiercely proud beings. Gaudí, a born and bred Catalonian, was a strong proponent for Catalan culture and a believer in an independent Catalan state. So strong was his love for his culture that it was suggested he enter the realm of politics, but much to the relief of the architectural world and beauty aficionados alike, he refused. For the history buffs, the Catalan identity (including state, language, and culture) has been around since the 8th century A.D.
The struggle for Catalan independence has been raging since the 17th century (it rages on to this day), and Gaudí, like his Catalan brethren, occasionally got involved in protests which escalated into full blown riots – once during the Floral Games and a second time during the National Day of Catalonia, the latter of which led to a few days in jail.
Developer Count Eusebi Güell set out to create a housing development inspired by the English garden city movement popular in the early 20th century. Garden cities were planned self-contained communities that combined residential, agricultural, and green space in one tidy, suburban package. Gaudí designed the grounds, respecting the natural landscape, as well as the water collection and storing system, avoiding erosion issues caused by Mediterranean rainfalls.
Two model homes were built: one by architect Juli Battllevell and the other by Gaudí’s assistant, Fransesc Berenguer. Sadly, those were the only two houses built, and the failed housing development was transformed into modern-day wonderland by the master of the mosaic, Antoni Gaudí. He eventually moved into the house designed by his assistant. That house is now the Gaudí Museum (Casa Museu Gaudí), which can be visited today.
And as always have a chilled day from the Viking
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