PARK

Parc de la Ciutadella

Echoes of '88: From fortress to city's cultural lung.

Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la RiberaPasseig de Picasso, 21

The venue

Set in El Born (Ciutat Vella), Parc de la Ciutadella is a historical bedrock of Barcelona. Erected on an 18th-century Bourbon fortress —a symbol of repression post-War of Succession—, it became the city's first public park after its 1869 demolition. Josep Fontserè's design was adapted for the 1888 Universal Exposition, a landmark that fueled urban modernization and left an architectural legacy. Highlights include the Cascada Monumental, with early touches by Gaudí; the Modernista Castell dels Tres Dragons by Domènech i Muntaner; the iron Umbracle and Hivernacle, testaments to its scientific vocation; and the Parlament de Catalunya, housed in the old arsenal. A green space narrating the city's cultural transformation.