Barcelona is a beautiful city full of wonders and hidden gems, many of them you can find in Montjuic area, where at its foot you can find our beautiful boutique hotel. For fans of architecture, it is a great place to spot beautifully designed buildings and great ornaments in the places you least expect them. Architecture fans definitely have to visit one extra site in the city: the Mies van der Rohe Barcelona Pavilion.
In this blog, we will go over:
The Barcelona Pavilion was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich as the German Pavilion for the 1929 Barcelona International Exhibition held in the city.
The pavilion that was meant to be temporary was made from glass, steel, and diversity of marble materials, the Pavilion was conceived to accommodate the official reception presided over by King Alfonso XIII of Spain along with the German authorities. It was a great success and aroused interest in how innovative the architecture and design were.
After the closure of the Exhibition, the pavilion was disassembled in 1930, and later, it became a point of reference in Mies van der Rohe´s career and also in twentieth-century architecture. A few years after, a group of Catalan architects decided they wanted to reconstruct the pavilion based on the original plan. The process began in 1983 and in 1986, the new site was opened and it is the pavilion that we can admire today.
The materials used to build the pavilion are mostly glass, steel, and four different kinds of stone (Roman travertine, green Alpine marble, ancient green marble from Greece and golden Onyx from the Atlas Mountains) were used for the reconstruction. All stones have the same characteristics and provenance as the ones originally used by Mies in 1929. A chair was designed for the pavilion, consisting of leather and metal that has, over the years, become an icon of modern design. The Barcelona chair is still manufactured and marketed today.
The sculpture outside of the pavilion is a bronze reproduction of the piece entitled Dawn by Georg Koble, a contemporary of Mies van der Rohe. Placed at the end of the small pond, the sculpture is reflected not only in the water but also in the marble and glass, creating a sensation that is multiplied in space.
The Pavilion opens from Monday to Sunday. (Better saying: The Barcelona Pavilion is opened daily.)
March to October 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
November to February 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Access is allowed until 15 minutes before closing time.
Alteration of opening hours:
The Pavilion will be closed all day on the 4th, 5th, 6th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and 30th of May. The Pavilion will be opened until 2 PM on the 9th, 10th, 16th and 31st of May.
At the ticket office at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, you can pay in cash or credit card at the entrance.
For any wanted discounts, proof documents are required.
An Audio Guide is included in the ticket price.
Ticket prices:
General entrance 8€
Students | Unemployed | Reduced “Pink Card” | Large family card 4€
aged <16 | Free “Pink Card” | ICOM | AMC card | Accompanying Metropolitan Pass | Teachers in regular training centres | profesional tour guides and journalists in the exercise of their work and first sunday of each month Free entrance
There is also a Mies van der Rohe Pavilion Card, for 20€. This gives you unlimited access to the pavilion for one year from the purchase date. There are discounts up to 15% on purchases at the Pavilion store, and you will get invitations to the activities of the Pavilion and the newsletter of the Fundació. The card is personal and non-transferable.
With the price of the tickets, you contribute to the conservation of the building and the organisation of activities by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe.
The Mies van der Rohe Pavilion Barcelona is free of charge on:
The Pavilion is located to the right of the Magic Fountain. It is easiest to take the Metro to Espanya stop. On exiting the Metro, head up the wide Avenida Reina Maria Cristina towards the MNAC. Before going any of the stairs, at the Magic Fountain, turn right on to Avenida Marques de Comillas – you will see the Pavilion directly in front of you, being on the opposite side of the Caixa Forum. The Pavilion is adapted for access for people with a disability. There is also a stop for the Bus Turistic outside the Pavilion.
After visiting the museums in Barcelona, including the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion Barcelona, the perfect place to stay is our boutique hotel. This is because it is located at the foot of Montjuic, close to all the beautiful museums. Furthermore, it is situated in both lovely and lively neighborhoods.
We hope that we have informed you enough about the Mies van der Rohe Barcelona Pavilion, and to be a part of your stay!
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