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The Parc de la Ciutadella
is the oldest park in Barcelona, is located at the site of the old military
fortress of the city (the Ciutadella of 1716), and was built for the Universal
Exhibition of 1888. And guess what? Admission is free !!!
The best
way to get to the Parc de la Ciutadella is by metro (line 1, Arc de Triomf
station) and enter in the park as the visitors of the Universal Exhibition entered
… that is through the Arch of Triomphe (Arc de Triomf) with 30m, neo-Islamic style, designed by the architect
Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas and constructed for the Universal Exhibition.
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| Arch of Triomphe |
What to see in the Park of Ciutadella?
The park's
project was inspired by the European gardens of England, France and Italy.
Currently, in the park you can still see some buildings built specifically for
the Universal Exhibition. The Castle of the 3 Dragons (Castell dels Tres
Dragons) is one of these buildings. It was built by the modernist architect
Domènech i Montaner and was the café and restaurant of the exhibition. The
castle has a neogothic style, although with the presence of some elements (the
use of iron and brick in sight) that already announce the arrival of a
"new style", the modernism.
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| Park of Ciutadella - Castle of the three Dragons |
The Monumental
Fountain and the Lake were also built for the Universal Exposition. In this
monument worked the best sculptors of the time and the whole architectural
group stands out El Carro de l'Aurora, in which the young Gaudí was responsible
for some of the details of the waterfall.
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| Park of Ciutadella - Monumental Fountain |
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| Park of Ciutadella - Lake |
The park has
a lot of sculptures, but of all, the most impressive is the life-size
Mammoth.
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| Sculptures of the Park |
The Mammoth
was part of a project, which aimed to build several replicas of prehistoric
animals through the park ... but the money ran out and only the mammoth was
built! Nowadays, going to Parc de la Ciutadella without sitting on the elephant
trunk ... it's like going to Rome and not seeing the Pope!
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| Park of Ciutadella - Mammoth |
In the
park, there is also the Parliament of Catalonia, which is a building of the
18th century that was the former military arsenal of Ciutadella.
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| Park of Ciutadella - Parliament of Catalonia |
And the
greenhouse, el umbráculo, that was constructed between 1883 and 1887, by
Josep Amargó. Shortly thereafter, the greenhouse was transformed into a
ballroom and a conference room. After the 1888 exhibition, it returned to its
original appearance and functions. At the moment, it has plants of about twenty
countries of the four continents.
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| Park of Ciutadella - Greenhouse |
Timetable of the Parc de la Ciutadella:
December,
January and February:
10 am - 6 pm
March
and November: 10am -
7pm
April
and October: 10am -
8pm
May
to September: 10am -
9pm
How to get to Parc de la Ciutadella?
Metro: I advise line 1 (Arc de Triomf), but you can also use
line 4 (Ciutadella / Vila Olímpica)
Bus: 14, 17, 36, 39, 40, 41, 42, 45, 51, 57, 59, 64, 141
and 157.
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| Map of Park of Ciutadella |
You may also want to visit:
The Zoo of Barcelona, which is at
one end of the Park of Ciutadella. The zoo will run from 10am to 8pm (from May
16 to September 15), from 10am to 7pm (from March 19 to May 15 and from
September 16 to October 29) and from 10am to 5:30 p.m. (from January 1 to March
18 and from October 30 to December 31). Normal ticket € 19.90.
Port Olímpic was built for the 1992 Olympic Games and today is one
of the best areas in Barcelona to eat (several restaurants!) and nightlife (countless
bars and nightclubs!). The landscape is clearly marked by the Golden Grande
Peix (Fish) of the American architect Frank Gehry (also participated in the
construction of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao) and by the towers of Mapfre
and Hotel Arts. The nearest metro station to Port Olímpic is the Ciutadella /
Vila Olímpica station (line 4).
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| Port Olímpic |
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