Parc de la Ciutadella

In 1714, after a 13 month long siege, Barcelona fell to the army of Philips V during the war of the Spanish Succession. In order to keep firm control over Barcelona, King Philips V built the largest fortress in Europe, a star-shaped citadel or 'Ciutadella'. A large part of the Ribera district was demolished to make way for this fortress. Only 30 years later was the neighborhood rebuilt at another location as the 'Barceloneta'.

The much-hated symbol of central government was demolished between 1869 and 1878 after the Catalan general Prim handed over the citadel to the city. Only three buildings survived: the chapel, the Governor's palace and the arsenal, now home to the Catalan Parliament.

Already in 1872 works to convert the area into a central urban park had started, but it progressed slowly. In 1885 the terrain was designated as the site of the 1888 Universal Exhibition, giving a boost to the development of the park. Many buildings were constructed, several of which have survived. The 'Castel dels Tres Dragons' is the most notable of these. It was built to resemble a medieval castle and served as a restaurant during the 1888 exhibition. It currently houses the zoological and geology collections of the Museu de Ciències Naturals (Natural Science Museum).

The 30ha (74acre) large park is also home to the Parc Zoologic, the Barcelona Zoo. About 7.500 animals representing 400 different species can be found here in the zoo, which occupies about 13 hectare of the park. Some of the zoo's most famous animals include gorillas, orang-utans, dolphins, cheetas, wolves, snow leopards, crocodiles and alligators. The zoo's former star attraction, an albino gorilla known as Snow Flake, 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 stand 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.

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 - who was 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.