PARC DE LA CIUTADELLA

The Parc de la Ciutadella is Barcelona's most central park. The park includes a zoo, a lake, a large fountain and several museums. The Catalan Parliament is seated at a building in the center of the park.

Besides museums, a large park is home to the Parc Zoologic, the Barcelona Zoo. The most famous of its 7000 animals was the albino gorilla, 'Floret de Neu'(Copito de Nieve). Unfortunately, he died in 2004.

The park also features a small lake, a popular spot where you can hire a rowing boat.
There are several statues in the park, the ones that stands out most are a large stone mammoth and a metallic cat. A more conventional statue commemorates General Prim, who made the demolition of the citadel possible.

Park Ciutadella is a great place to spend a sunny, warm afternoon. Just bring your picnic blanket and pack a lunch, then sit back and watch the people go by. There are always people playing guitar or dancing, and lots of children and pets going by.

One of my favorite part of the park is the fountain, but make sure you keep checking back until you actually get to see it turned on!. You can also grab a coffee from the kiosk near the fountain and relax for a while. If you bring your own balls and paddles, you can play ping-pong in the great outdoors at one of the parks' ping-pong tables.

The Cascada

At the northern corner of the park is the Cascada, a triumphal arch with waterfall and fountain built for the 1888 Universal exhibition. The baroque construction designed by Josep Fontsère, responsible for the conversion of the citadel site into a park, took six years to complete. The design was loosely based on the Trevi Fountain in Rome. The architect was assisted by Antoni Gaudí, at the time still a student.