Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Arc de Triomf
Pg. de Lluís Companys • Arc de Triomf
The giant brick
Arc de Triomf
, Roman in scale, announces the architectural splendours to
come in the park itself. Conceived as a bold statement of Catalan intent, it's studded with
ceramic figures and motifs, and topped by two pairs of bulbous domes. The reliefs on the
mainfacadeshowthecityofBarcelonawelcomingvisitorstothe1888UniversalExhibition.
Cascada
Parc de la Ciutadella • Arc de Triomf
The first of the major projects undertaken inside the park was the
Cascada
, the monumental
fountain in the northeast corner. It was designed by Josep Fontseré i Mestrès, the architect
chosen to oversee the conversion of the former citadel grounds into a park, and his assistant
in the work was the young Antoni Gaudí, then a student. The Baroque extravagance of the
Cascada is suggestive of the flamboyant decoration that was later to become Gaudí's trade-
mark. The best place to contemplate the fountain's tiers and swirls is from the small open-air
café-kiosk
.Nearhereyou'llalsofindalake,whereyoucan
rentarowboat
andpaddleabout
among the ducks. Incidentally, Gaudí is also thought to have had a hand in the design of the
Ciutadella's iron park gates.
Museu de Ciències Naturals
Pg. de Picasso • Under renovation at time of writing •
www.museuciencies.bcn.cat
• Arc de Triomf
The city's Natural Science Museum has its public showcase, the
Museu Blau
,
over at the
Diagonal Mar Fòrum site, but its genesis lies in two interesting buildings in Ciutadella park
that are currently undergoing major renovation. The Neoclassical
Museu Martorell
, which
openedin1882,wasactuallythefirstpublicmuseumtobebuiltinthecity,designedbylead-
ing architect of the day Antoni Rovira i Trias. For decades this housed the city's geological
collections; the new permanent exhibition here will concentrate on the development of the
natural sciences in Barcelona. The other building has always been a city favourite, a whim-
sical red-brick confection that was long the zoology museum. It's universally known as the
Castell dels Tres Dragons
(Three Dragons Castle), designed by
modernista
architect Lluís
Domènech i Montaner and originally intended for use as the café-restaurant for the 1888
UniversalExhibition.It'sgoingtobecometheresearch,studyandconservationcentreforthe
Natural Science Museum's geology and zoology collections.
Umbracle and Hivernacle
Pg. de Picasso • Under renovation at time of writing • Arc de Triomf
The two real unsung glories of Ciutadella are its plant houses, arranged either side of the
Museu Martorell. The imposing
Umbracle
(palm house) is a handsome structure with a bar-
relledwood-slatroofsupportedbycast-ironpillars,whichallowsshaftsoflighttoplayacross
