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Outstanding is the legacy of architect Antoni Gaudí
, who lived and worked in Barcelona, and who left several famous works like the
Palau Güell in the city's old center, the Parc Güell at the northern tip of
Gràcia, and the immense but still unfinished church of the Sagrada Família ,
which has been under construction since 1882 , financed by popular donations
like the cathedrals in the Middle Ages (However, it is not a cathedral : the
cathedral of Barcelona is the Cathedral of Santa Eulàlia , a Gothic building of
the late Middle Ages). The Sagrada Família is billed for completion in 2020.
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Another very notable modernist building in the
older part of the city is the Palau de la Música Catalana , designed by Lluís
Domènech i Montaner and built in 1908 . |
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In the modern districts of the city are several
avenues on which most of the international merchants offering clothing, jewelry,
leather goods and other items have their stores. The most elegant avenue is the
Passeig de Gràcia, where two Gaudí buildings are situated, theCasa Milà (La
Pedrera) and the Casa Batlló , |
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along with buildings by other famous modernista architects:
Casa Ametller by Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Casa Lleó Morera by Domènech i
Montaner. Several of these buildings and indeed the Sagrada Familia church
itself are threatened by Mayor Clos' plans to build a large railway tunnel for
high-speed trains under the city's shaky 19th century foundations. In recent
years, office developments along Passeig de Gràcia have been allowed to break up
the architectural unity of the 19th and early 20th century buildings lining the
avenue - a process which shows no signs of slackening. Property speculation is
also blighting other areas of the city, including the 19th century Poble Nou
district with its many interesting buildings dating from Catalonia's Industrial
Revolution. Many of these have now been levelled to make room for the city's
ill-starred "22@" project to build an area for ICT-based firms.
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