Park sights in Barcelona
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A
Park Güell
North of Gràcia, Park Güell is where Gaudí turned his hand to landscape gardening and the artificial almost seems more natural than the natural.
Park Güell originated in 1900 when Count Eusebi Güell bought a hillside property (then outside Barcelona) and hired Gaudí to create a miniature garden city of houses for the wealthy. The project was abandoned in 1914, but not before Gaudí had created 3km of roads and walks, steps and a plaza in his inimitable manner, plus the two Hansel-and-Gretel-style gatehouses on Carrer d’Olot.
Try coming to the park early on a weekday. On summer weekends it can be unpleasantly packed. Bus 24 drops you at an entrance near the top of …
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B
Parc de la Creueta del Coll
Not far from Park Güell, this refreshing public park has a pleasant, meandering, splashing pool. The pool, along with swings, showers and snack bar, makes a relaxing family stop on hot summer days and is strictly a local affair. The park area is open all year; only the lake-pool closes outside summer. The park is set inside a deep crater left by long years of stone quarrying. On one side of it, an enormous cement sculpture, Elogio del Agua (Eulogy to Water) by Eduardo Chillida, is suspended. You can wander the trails around the high part of this hill-park and enjoy views of the city and Tibidabo. From the Penitents Metro station, it’s a 15-minute walk. Enter from Carrer …
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C
Park
This carefully manicured park remained a private family idyll until the 1970s, when it was opened to the public. Many a fine party and theatrical performance was held here over the years, but now it serves as a kind of museum-park. The gardens take their name from a maze (which is very easy to get lost in!) in their centre, but other paths take you past a pleasant artificial lake or estany, waterfalls, a neoclassical pavilion and a false cemetery. The latter was inspired by 19th-century romanticism, often characterised by an obsession with a swooning, anaemic (some might say plain silly) vision of death.
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D
Parc del Centre del Poblenou
Nouvel designed the Parc del Centre del Poblenou, about halfway between the tower Torre Agbar and El Fòrum. It is an odd park, with stylised metal seats and items of statuary. Barcelona is sprinkled with parks whose principal element is cement. The self-proclaimed Gaudíesque cement walls are increasingly covered by sprawling bougainvillea. Inside, some 1000 trees of mostly Mediterranean species are complemented by thousands of smaller bushes and plants. Nouvel’s idea is that, with time, the trees will form a natural canopy over the park, watered using local ground water.
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Parc de la Ciutadella
East of La Ribera and north of La Barceloneta, the gentle Parc de la Ciutadella makes a fine antidote to the noise and bustle of the city. After the War of the Spanish Succession, Felipe V built a huge fort (La Ciutadella) to keep watch over Barcelona. Only in 1869 did the government allow its demolition, after which the site was turned into a park and used to host the Universal Exhibition of 1888.
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Parc d'Espanya Industrial
Maligned by many, this playfully postmodern park comprises what look like galactic watchtowers overlooking a boating lake and a dragon sculpture that's popular with kiddies. It's transformed when illuminated at night and worth a look if you're waiting for a train at Estació Sants.
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Parc de Collserola
Stretching over 80 sq km, this park makes an ideal escape hatch from the city, with ample walking and mountain-biking possibilities. To get to the park, take the FGC train from Plaça de Catalunya to Peu de Funicular and then the funicular to Baixador de Vallvidrera.
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Jardins Joan Brossa
The landscaped Jardins Joan Brossa are set on the site of a former amusement park. These gardens contain many Mediterranean species, from cypresses to pines and a few palms.
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Jardins de Mossèn Costa i Llobera
Towards the main road to Tarragona, the Jardins de Mossèn Costa i Llobera have a good collection of tropical and desert plants – including a veritable forest of cacti.
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Jardins de Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer
Located near the Estació Parc Montjuïc (funicular station) are the ornamental Jardins de Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer, full of beautiful bulbs and aquatic plants.
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