Lampposts of Pla de Palau

Architect: Antoni Gaudí
Materials: Wrought iron

The two lamps that are now before the building of the Old Customs respond to a simplified version of the streetlights of six branches that Gaudí designed for the Royal Square. Initially, there were two more in the bottom of the square, approximately where it is now the Faculty of Nautical, and marked the entrance "in the neighborhood of Barceloneta, creating a new" portal "that replaced the ousted from Portal de Mar of the wall .

In the "memory" that accompanies the project streetlights Plaza Real, Gaudí expresses its intention that they will also locate to significant buildings in the city, including appointment precisely the Civil Government, use had until Old Customs bit. This is the most remarkable wanted singling buildings in the city, but also in the present case, the Gaudi streetlights contribute to address the lack of symmetry of the lower part of the plan of Palau; Old Customs, built when this part was still occupied by a section of the sea wall, leaving behind few meters from the alignment of the other buildings. The streetlights contribute to fill this gap there in front of the Customs, organizing a space that escapes from the general layout of the square, and ennobling which had been built as a side of that building facade.

The streetlights respond to the same model as those installed on the Place Royale, but with half of branches, three instead of six, and without attributes, winged helmet and caduceus, the god Mercury. City Council's decision to eliminate these ornaments, which were culminating the original lampposts, Gaudi forced to introduce a new element of auction, which is a sort of inverted crown where two snakeheads arise. So, somehow you try to keep the original compositional scheme, since the crown refers to the rounded shape of the hull, and the purpose of reptile, are a reminder of the two coiled snakes forming the caduceus god of commerce. Despite efforts by the architect, the result of these simplifications is rather poor.