Block of Discord, Barcelona

There are two distinctive and very different parts of Barcelona that draw visitors that are interested in architecture's attention.  One is the very oldest part of Barcelona, which dates back a thousand years.  The second one is the modernist neighborhoods in L'Exaimple that date back 100 years.  This block, so called the Block of Discord, is one of the most photographed in all of Barcelona.  It has houses that represent the 'Modernisme' period (which is Catalan for 'modernism').  It is the historiographic denomination given to what is primarily related to an architectural style, but which also involved other arts (painting and sculpture), and especially the design and decorative arts, which received special attention.  Although it was part of a general trend that emerged in Europe around the late 19th century and continuing into the 20th century, in Catalonia the style acquired its own distinct and unique personality. Its distinct name comes from its special relationship primarily with Catalonia and Barcelona, which were intensifying their local characteristics for socio-ideological reasons after the revival of Catalan culture and in the context of a spectacular urban and industrial development.  That political relationship is lost for the most part on the modern tourist, except for one thing.  You have never seen anything like it.  The style is very distinctive, and so that fact that it had sociopolitical roots has left it's mark on Barcelona.  The whole neighborhood is full of great buildings and the added bonus is that you get a good walk out of the tourist experience.