Ciutadella Park

Welcome to Barcelona’s incredible urban park. Just like New York has Central Park and London has Hyde Park, Barcelona has the Parc de la Ciutadella. The park is named after the citadel that once stood here, built by Philip V after the War of Spanish Succession. A symbol of an oppressive regime, it was destroyed during the 1868 revolution. In 1888, the city was preparing to host the Universal Exhibition. The plan was to create a vast garden for the 400,000 visitors expected. The newly cleared space left by the old fortress was the perfect place! The architect in charge declared that “gardens are to cities what lungs are to the human body,” and envisioned a gigantic park spread across 60 hectares. Today, half of it is home to Barcelona Zoo, while the other half is lined with palm and orange trees, two charming artificial lakes, and several monuments. On your right, you can see the hibernaculum, made entirely of iron and glass. A little further on is the Parliament of Catalonia, located on the parade ground. And just across the lake, you’ll find the large sculpted mammoth. To your left stands a modernist building called the Castle of the Three Dragons. Built in 1887 by the renowned architect Lluís Domènech, its evocative name was inspired by a play. It was meant to house a grand café-restaurant for the Universal Exhibition. However, delays and various issues led the architect to abandon the project, later completed by Josep Forteza. A few years after the Exhibition, the mayor of Barcelona asked Domènech to return and remodel the building into a museum. It was inaugurated in 1892, on the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas. Today, the Castle of the Three Dragons houses part of the Natural Science Museum of Barcelona. Parc de la Ciutadella is an ideal place to relax, and a space where tourists, locals, musicians and street performers come together. It’s like an international picnic! Feel free to take a break from our tour and look around.