Parc de la Ciutadella was built for the occasion of the 1888 Fair. It was formerly a big military complex called the Ciutadella (citadel) and was demolished between 1869 and 1888. It has wide variety of tree species of the region and with exotic species (with panels indicating their names). There are also sculptures, a lake and various ponds and fountains of architectural interest. The park also includes cultural institutions such as the Parliament of Catalonia, three museums and a zoo.



The Parc de la Ciutadella is Barcelona’s most central park. The Catalan Parliament is seated at a building in the center of the park. The large park is home to the Parc Zoologic, the Barcelona Zoo having 7000 animals. The park also features a small lake, a popular spot where one can hire a rowing boat for boating. At the northern corner of the park is the Cascada, a triumphal arch with waterfall and fountain built for the 1888 Universal exhibition. The baroque construction designed by Josep Fontsère, responsible for the conversion of the citadel site into a park. The design was loosely based on the Trevi Fountain in Rome. It is a beautiful park is in the summer and spring months. The palm and orange trees give it a Mediterranean feel.

Just outside the entrance are facilities to rent bicycles and four-seated buggies with a cover, however some of these vehicles can’t actually come into the main areas of the park In a little square a band was playing and groups of people of all ages were dancing a strange circle dance - a Catalan dance of brotherhood. The “ornamental cascade," is magnificent. Gaudi helped design it and it was based on the Trevi Fountain in Rome. The lake is a home for thousands of birds and ducks.

The park go beyond the mere concept of a park as a showcase for plant life and a place for taking a walk, although there is no question that it fulfils these functions. In addition to the visit to the zoo, a walk through the park has a whole host of surprises in store - the spectacular waterfall and navigable lake; the white and glass structure of the Hivernacle, together with the cooling and shady Umbracle; or the Museu de Ciències Naturals. Since its inception, sculptures have been added to the park like the ugly “Tribute to Picasso," by Tapies, but also the appropriately dedicatory “Exposition Universal of 1888" by Antoni Clave just off to the left of the park gates, which was added in 1991 just before the Olympics. Like so many prominent sites in Barcelona, Ciutadella is on a historically significant spot, representing the relics of a world show of Barcelonan enterprise and creativity.

This park has it all - zoo, geological, zoological and art museums, a tropical forest greenhouse, a winter garden, large pond with rowboats for hire, and serenity within the congested core of the city. Oldsters strolled through the park or lingered on benches parked in shady corners. Many people were just stretched out on the grass catching a bit of sun.