It was clear, that we would have to leave Barcelona before July 1st. So during our last few months in Spain, I felt the need to visit as many sights as I could that we had missed during the previous 3 years. It just goes to show that even after 3 years of living in Barcelona, there was still so much more that we hadn't seen and done.
One of Barcelona's hidden gems is The Recinte Sant Pau, which used to be a fully operational hospital from the 1930s until 2009. The hospital complex was designed by one of Catalunya's most famous architects, Lluís Domènech i Montaner in the Modernist period when Barcelona was booming and had plenty of money for ambitious projects. What makes the Recinte Sant Pau even more incredible was the fact that it was a hospital for the poor, as the more wealthy could afford to be treated in their own homes. Walking through the buildings and grounds you can't help but wonder what life would have been like in Barcelona at that time. Each building is so elaborate and unique and always designed with the patients' happiness and comfort in mind. They don't make buildings like this anymore, let alone hospitals.
This is a place that every visitor to Barcelona should see. It's very close to the Sagrada Familia and because it's still relatively unknown, you don't have to buy tickets in advance or line up and deal with huge crowds. I recommend taking the guided tour, it's a little more expensive, but more interesting. With a Barcelona Library card you do get a 20% discount.
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| Recinte Sant Pau, view of the centre courtyard and surrounding buildings |
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| Main administrative building |
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| One of the rooms for patients |
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