Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
as the
EstadiOlímpicLluísCompanys
, after the Generalitat president who was executed at
Montjuïc during the Spanish Civil War.
A vast
terrassa
on the west side of the stadium provides one of the finest vantage points in
the city. Long water-fed troughs break up the concrete and marble expanse, while the confid-
ent, space-age curve of Santiago Calatrava's
communications tower
dominates the skyline.
Rising above the terrace is the steel-and-glass
Palau Sant Jordi
, a 17,000-seater sports and
concert hall, while other signature buildings in the Olympic area include Catalan architect
Ricardo Bofill's
Institut Nacional d'Educació Física de Catalunya
(
INEF
; a sports uni-
versity) and - one building you can visit as a general punter - the impressive
PiscinesPicor-
Museu Olímpic i de l'Esport
Av. de l'Estadi 60 • Tues-Sat 10am-8pm (Oct-March until 6pm), Sun & hols 10am-2.30pm • €5.10, under-7s
free• 932925379,
museuolimpicbcn.com
• Espanyathen25minwalk,orbus#13or#150fromAv.de
la Reina Maria Cristina
Just across the road from the Olympic stadium, the history of the Games themselves - and
Barcelona'ssuccessfulhosting-arecoveredinthe
MuseuOlímpicidel'Esport
.It'safully
interactive experience, with lots of Olympic memorabilia and sports gear on display, plus
sporting videos and an audiovisual presentation, but even so is probably one for hardcore
sports fans only.
Fundació Joan Miró
Parc de Montjuïc • Tues-Sat 10am-7pm (Thurs 9.30pm & July-Sept 10am-8pm), Sun & hols 10am-2.30pm •
Generaladmissiontoallareas€11,otherwiseexhibitions€7,Espai13€2.50• 934439470,
fundaciomiro-
bcn.org
• Paral.lel, then Funicular de Montjuïc and 5min walk, or bus #150 from Av. de la Reina Maria
Cristina, or #55 from c/Llieda
Barcelona's most adventurous art museum, the
Fundació Joan Miró
, houses the life's work
of the great Catalan artist Joan Miró (1893-1983), who established an international reputa-
tion while always retaining links with his homeland. The stark white modernist museum, de-
signed by Miró's friend, the architect Josep-Luis Sert, is set in lovely gardens overlooking
the city, and lies just a few minutes' walk from both the Olympic stadium and the Montjuïc
funicular and cable-car stations.
Miró showed a childlike delight in colours and shapes and developed a free, highly decor-
ative style - the paintings and drawings, in particular, are instantly recognizable, among the
chieflinksbetweenSurrealismandabstractart.Miróhadhisfirstexhibitionin1918andsub-
sequently spent his summers in Catalunya and the rest of the time in France, before moving
to Mallorca in 1956, where he died.
