Summer is a time for getaways, and there are few more interesting ways to do it than to introduce Jardins Artigas to our community. The Jardins Artigas are in La Pobla de Lillet: the second town in the world with the most works by Gaudí after Barcelona.
Of course, the headlines are misleading: La Pobla de Lillet only has two works by Gaudí, but one of them , this garden, is a marvel worth escaping for, as it is also directly linked to the other Gaudí jewel in the municipality.
It is the Chalet de Catllaràs, which was born as a mountain refuge for the engineers of the coal mines for the Zone. The Chalet de Catllaràs was commissioned, of course, by Eusebi Güell.
A Park Güell… one hour from Barcelona
While Gaudí was designing the villa, several projects were on his mind. And one of them was the Park Güell. Legend has it that Artigas was fascinated by the plans for the Barcelona park, so Gaudí, in gratitude for his hospitality and once the project was finished, sent him other sketches for the construction of a similar park.
This was in 1903. And that same year Joan Artigas died. However, his death did not stop the project and it was completed in 1910. The irony of the matter is that the gardens were abandoned between 1939 and 1989. And in a somewhat peculiar exercise of snobbery that came from the confirmation of authorship, the gardens were restored only when it became known who had built them, in 1992.
The experts who have studied it draw similarities between the Jardins Artigas and Park Güell. The main difference, as seen in the photos, is that Park Güell is a dry park and Jardins Artigas is wet. That is, it is a park that is built on the banks of the Llobregat River, whose course determines and draws the park.
This is because Gaudí’s mark – as in the vast majority of his works – is recognizable in every nook and cranny. On every bridge, on every footbridge, on every walkway, on every catenary arch, on every balustrade, on every bridge, on every gazebo, on every Christian symbol – the Patronus of each of the four evangelists is scattered throughout the park. In addition to the adaptation to the environment: the Jardins Artigas are worked in the same way as a potter works clay.
The general ticket costs 4,2€ and is paid in cash, although it can also be visited as part of an excursion that includes the Cement Train, the Cement Museum and a visit to Artigas Gardens. Be that as it may, in this link you have the prices and times:.