The first major project of Antoni Gaudi, Palau Guell was constructed in the 1880s for the Guell family. The building has a striking facade and parabolic arches. Multilingual tours start in the stables, from where marble stairs lead to vestibules wuith columns and ornate rooms. On the rooftop are battlements, spires and bizarrely shaped chimneys decorated with ceramics. During the Civil War the building was used as a military headquarters and a prison.