Ciutadella Park

Ciutadella Park (Parc de la Ciutadella) is a park located in the Born district of Barcelona, which for many years was the only green area in the city. The park was designed in the 19th century and its style was modelled on the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. It spreads over an area of 17 hectares between the current Olympic Village (Vila Olimpica), Franca Train Station in the district of Born and Arc de Triomphe. It is entirely fenced in and can be accessed through one of 10 different entrances. During the Revolution of 1868 the mayor of the city commissioned Josep Fontserè to demolish the old citadel, which was later reconstructed in 1888 to hold the Universal Exhibition. At first, the citadel functioned as an arsenal, however, today it includes the Parliament of Catalonia, a parish church, a military school and an old governor's palace.

In the vicinity of the citadel there is the Museum of Zoology and the Castle of the Three Dragons (Castillo de los tres Dragones), which was designed by Lluis Domenech i Montaner. The park has many wooded areas and walkways. Also, in the park one can find a small lake with boats. In the focal point of the park, there is Cascada Monumental - a fountain designed by Antonio Gaudí as well as Jardín Romántico - a garden which houses lots of interesting plant species. Cascada Monumental is especially appealing thanks to the interesting sculptures with which it is adorned and an underground cave. In the old parade ground, there is also an oval pool with a famous sculpture made by Josep Llimona called Grief. Another sculpture that can be found in the park is the sculpture of a mammoth - a Walt Disney character.