La Llotja (Maritime Exchange)

La Llotja (Maritime Exchange) Review

Barcelona's Llotja, or maritime trade center was designed to be the city's finest example of civil (nonecclesiastic) architecture. Originally little more than a roof, Barcelona's present maritime exchange was constructed in the Catalan Gothic style between 1380 and 1392. At the end of the 18th century the facades were (tragically) covered in the neoclassical uniformity of the time, but the interior, the great Saló Gòtic (Gothic Hall), remained unaltered, and was a grand venue for balls and celebrations throughout the 19th century. The Gothic Hall was used as the Barcelona stock exchange until 1975, and until late 2001 as the grain exchange. The hall has now been brilliantly restored and though public visits have not been formally established, any chance to see the inside of this historic hall will reveal Gothic arches and columns and a marble floor made of light Carrara and dark Genovese marble. To slip into the hall, after touring the Fine Arts Museum head to the Saló Gòtic by walking down the stairs to the second floor, and then descend the marble staircase and turn right.

The Escola de Belles Arts (Fine Arts School) occupied the southwestern corner of the Llotja from 1849 until 1960. Many illustrious Barcelona artists studied here, including Gaudí, Miró and Picasso. The Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi (Royal Catalan Academy of Fine Arts of St. George) still has its seat in the Llotja, and its museum is one of Barcelona's semi-secret collections of art.