Gaudi's Folly

Why is Gaudí's Folly of interest?
Gaudí's Folly is a unique piece of construction, a must-see visit for lovers of architecture, as it is one of the first buildings erected by Gaudí, and therefore of supreme importance for the development of his career and essential for studying and understanding the overall course of his work, and the epitome of the style of his first period, and which is distinguished by: the mudéjar influence, the alternation between this hint of orientalism and mediaevalism, and for the gradual and growing appearance of the elements corresponding to the mature period of Gaudí.

Its history
The Villa Quijano, popularly known as Gaudí's Folly, was commissioned by Máximo Díaz de Quijano to satisfy his desire to build a summer house in Comillas adjoining the Palace of Sobrellano, where the first Marquess of Comillas, his brother-in-law's brother, lived.

Designed by Antoni Gaudí and built between 1883 and 1885 under the direction of Cristóbal Cascante, this building is one of the few existing works by Gaudí outside Catalonia.

The building dates from Gaudi's orientalist period, when from 1883 to 1888 the architect drew inspiration for all his works in the art of the Middle and Far East, as well as in mudéjar and Nasrid art. In these buildings, Gaudí employed a great profusion of decoration with ceramic tiles, as well as Moorish arches, columns of exposed brick and pinnacles in the shape of pavilions or domes.

The building fell into abandonment after the Civil War, in which state it remained despite being declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1969. In 1992, it was purchased by the Japanese group Mido Development. Finally, the building was turned into a museum in 2009.

Would you like to visit?
You can visit "El Capricho" at any moment of the day during its opening hours, and with no need to book in advance. The entire building has been fitted out so you can enjoy, admire and understand this wonderful work by Gaudí.

You can visit the entire monument complex including the gardens and indoors. Using the materials facilitated at the entrance, you can self-guide your visit. The minimum time we recommend for this is 30 minutes.

• Guided visits

Guided visits are offered to visitors from time to time. There is no extra cost and they take place both in the morning and evening. They are always subject to availability. We recommend asking about the schedule for these visits via email to visitas@elcaprichodegaudi.com

More information at:
http://www.elcaprichodegaudi.com/