On the art nouveau trail in A Coruña
Left to right: A Coruña’s Calle San Nicolas 11, Casa Viturro, and Plaza de Lugo 22
“Do you see anything unusual?” My guide, Chus, asks as I peer upward at the mint-green and white wedding cake of a building in Plaza de Lugo, the heart of A Coruña’s commercial district.
It takes a while for me to register that what I’m looking at is looking back at me. The uppermost level of the building’s facade is stacked with seven rows of eyeballs, an intriguingly surreal finish to one of this Galician city’s most lauded works of early 20th-century architecture.
Plaza de Lugo 22
I’m on a tour of what is referred to in Spain as modernismo or arquitectura modernista. It’s a slightly confusing term for English speakers, for whom modernism means something completely different.
What sprouted in England from seeds planted by William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement would spread its elegant tendrils throughout Europe and beyond, taking hold in cities as far afield as Paris, Vienna, Barcelona, and Riga. Each place called it something else, but in France and also throughout the anglosphere it’s known as art nouveau.
We’re talking about the elaborate architectural fantasias of Antoni Gaudi and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, leading proponents of Catalan modernisme in Barcelona; Hector Guimard’s ornate ironwork entrances to the Paris Metro, and the gold-encrusted Viennese Secession building, to name just a few notable examples.
What, and why, was art nouveau?
Just as Barcelona has its Eixample, A Coruña has its Ensanche. Both words come from “widening” or “extension”, and refer to the new developments that transformed Spanish cities in the late 19th century, when a demographic shift to city living meant urban centres burst out beyond their old walls.
The wealthy bourgeoisie, their fortunes made in the factories, ports, and railways of the Industrial Revolution, were driving much of this expansion. Embracing modernity meant making a break with the past, architecture included.
And so in A Coruña ornate new edifices were raised that took inspiration from nature, from art, and from the travels of both the architects themselves and the sailors who brought back exotic wares from Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines to this booming port city.
A fusion of styles
A Coruña’s take on art nouveau has a particular twist, thanks to a characteristic of its architecture that remains a symbol of the city today.
The galerías, the glazed window balconies that sometimes cover a facade from top to bottom, are what gives the city its nickname “la ciudad de cristal”, the city of glass. These are particularly notable in the sweep of buildings that face onto the city’s marina (though in fact, these are the backs of buildings that face onto its main square, Plaza de María Pita).
The galerias served a practical purpose, maximising the entry of light into the buildings while keeping the rain out, and they predated the city’s wave of art nouveau. For this reason, you’ll often see the two styles merged.
One particularly attractive example is the golden-yellow Casa Rey (shown below), which with its curved glass corner harks back to what is believed to be the original inspiration for these galerias: the tiny-windowed sterns of Spanish galleons.
The bright yellow Casa Rey, right, by the architect Julio Galán Carvajal
Here’s my list of where to see some of the city’s most beguiling art nouveau buildings.
1. Casa Rey (Plaza de María Pita, 12).
Not only is it a stunning building, but the ground floors of Casa Rey house one of the city’s most beloved restaurants, La Penela. Stay tuned for a future post about this, and where else to eat in A Coruña.
Plaza de Lugo is the heart of the Ensanche, and the site of several of its most important modernista buildings. Number 22 is the location of the aforementioned eye-covered green and white extravaganza. As well as looking up, don’t forget to look down - the wooden doors are particularly attractive.
3. Casa Arambillet (Plaza de Lugo, 13)
Decorated with elaborate flower garlands, birds, and female faces – said to be based on the pre-Raphaelite “top model” Elizabeth Siddall, though I couldn’t find any solid evidence – this is one of the most ornate examples of art nouveau in the city.
4. Plaza de Lugo, 11
In the same block as Casa Arambillet, this is known as the Casa de los Cisnes (House of Swans) thanks to its painted scenes of swans and bullrushes, inspired by screens and textiles from Indonesia. By the way, in case you’re wondering what an apartment in this building costs, one was recently on the market for 754,000 euros.
Casa de los Cisnes, shown at left
5. Calle Real, 22
A chic black-and-white colour scheme and stylised plant motifs make this one of the city’s more understated examples of art nouveau.
Calle Real, 22
6. Calle San Nicolas, 11
Adorned with prominent green-framed galerías and an orange and white candy-stripe effect, this building – with its imposing caryatid gazing down at you from the doorway – certainly makes a statement.
The doorway caryatid of Calle San Nicolas, 11
7 Casa Viturro (Calle Compostela, 8)
This is the only building I saw some of the interior of. The pale green walls covered with white decorative motifs, the polished wooden staircase and the stained glass windows transport you to another era. A note about visiting: this is a private building with a mix of business and residential occupants. You can get a good view into the lobby from outside, but if you’d like to venture further into the building it’s best to ask the doorman first.
8. Kiosko Alfonso (Av. Jardines de Méndez Núñez, 3).
Named after King Alfonso XIII to commemorate a visit he made to the city, this former entertainment venue now houses temporary exhibitions.
Elaborate wrought-iron and glass: classic art nouveau materials (Kiosko Alfonso)
I travelled to A Coruña courtesy of Volotea and Turismo Coruña. For more, check out my Instagram and TikTok.