Finca Güell: dragon gate

This estate was Gaudí's first work for Count Eusebio Güell, who became his patron and friend, and it marked the beginning of an intense and productive professional relationship. Güell owned several estates in Barcelona, in the district known today as Zona Universitaria; he commissioned Gaudí to design the boundary wall and the gates giving access to this property. He also subsequently asked the architect to build the stables and various other small buildings.

The dragon gate of the Finca Güell must be considered a perfect testimony to the artistic quality of Catalan wrought-iron work. It is hung between brick pillars built on natural stone bases and swings on a single vertical axis. The dragon represents Ladón, the guardian of the Garden of Hesperides, who at Juno's behest stood watch over the golden apples of the garden. When Hercules overpowered the "warder", the fabulous beast turned itself into a constellation. Gaudí placed the gate under an antimony-coloured orange tree that crowns the pillar and counts as a symbol of special wealth.