Gaudí's Casa Botines will open its doors in April for the first time

The work of the brilliant modernist architect Antonio Gaudí is closely linked to Barcelona. For this reason, when we talk about this artist we immediately remember the impressive Park Güell, the iconic Sagrada Familia or its modernist houses. However, Gaudí left three works outside Catalonia: the Casa Botines, the Capricho de Comillas and the Episcopal Palace of Astorga. Equally beautiful but not as well known.

The Casa Botines will open its doors to the public from April 23 after intensive restoration work. This inauguration will offer the possibility of accessing the entire building, current headquarters of the Fundación España Duero, something that had not happened before in its 125-year history. Therefore, if you plan to make a getaway to León, we advise you to visit in person this architectural marvel with the stamp of Antonio Gaudí.

History of Casa Botines

The famous Catalan architect was finishing the Episcopal House of Astorga when Eusebi Güell, his patron and friend, recommended to two Leon textile entrepreneurs that they were looking for someone to build the headquarters of their company, a residential building and warehouse, in the center of Lion.

Gaudí designed a medieval-inspired palace to which he added numerous features of the Neo-Gothic style. The Botines House was equipped with four floors, a basement and an attic. He put the owners' homes on the first floor and the rest would go to rent. He also reserved the ground floor for offices and the basements would be used as a merchandise storage center for the textile company it housed.

Gaudí wanted to leave his personal mark by adding in the corners four cylindrical towers topped with pinnacles, the statue of Saint George and the dragon, and a moat protected by a wrought iron fence.

The works began in 1892 after overcoming a series of disputes with the León city council and the Casa Botines was completed in less than a year to the amazement of all. The speed with which the building was completed would bring controversy as the rumor spread that it was not well built and would end up collapsing.

This hoax outraged Gaudí because he was a first-rate architect and his prestige could be damaged. The truth is that for the construction of the Botines House he used very new construction techniques such as concreted masonry foundations. He also adapted the palace to the cold Leon climate using thick limestone walls and maximized the interior lighting through large neo-Gothic windows and skylights.

To put an end to the aforementioned rumors, Antonio Gaudí commissioned a technical report and the engineers found no structural problems. What was demonstrated by having remained standing for decades to the present.

The importance of details

For the construction of the Casa Botines, Antonio Gaudí studied the different monuments of the city in order to integrate his work with them. The cathedral of León greatly influenced the architect who placed limestone ashlars on the outside, trilobed windows and slate on the roof in the Leonese style and endowed the interior with Barcelonan characteristics that are very present in his work.

Opening to the public

In 1931 the Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad de León acquired the building. It was declared a Historical Monument in 1969, and in 1994 there was a new restoration. The ground floor of the building is often used as an exhibition venue. Now it opens three floors in which it will exhibit part of the 5.000 pieces it owns, including paintings by Casas, Sorolla, Madrazo or Tàpies. In a later phase, he will inaugurate the rest with the recreation of the cloth store and some of the houses. With this they hope to obtain income that allows them to be self-sufficient. In addition, it will be a new tourist spot to visit in León.

Curiosities of Casa Botines

Lion symbol

On the door of the main façade, Gaudí placed a wrought iron lion, symbol of the city, and on top of it a stone sculpture of Saint George and the dragon as a tribute to his native Catalonia.

Statue of Saint George

On the facade of Casa Botines we find a statue of Saint George, the patron saint of Catalonia and Aragon. The statue also received criticism in León, since it broke with the traditional iconography of Saint George. The mold of this Saint George was made directly on the sculptor Lorenzo Matamala Pinyol and the dragon was very similar to one that had already been used in the Sagrada Familia.

During restoration work in 1950, workers discovered a lead tube inside the sculpture, inside which were the original plans of the building signed by Gaudí, the property contract, coins, the certificate of completion of the works and newspaper clippings of the time.

Statue of Antonio Gaudí

Right in front of the Casa de Botines you can see the building sitting next to its architect. It is a bronze sculpture made by José Luis Fernández, which shows Gaudí sitting pensive and writing some notes. During the visit to Casa Botines de León, sitting on this bench and taking a photo with Gaudí is something that every tourist should do.


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