Description of the attraction
The luxurious city park of Cudadella reminds of the events of a not very flattering past. After the surrender of Barcelona in 1714 to Philip V, the first monarch of the Bourbon dynasty, who did away with Catalan rights, the Duke of Berwick ordered the creation of a military fortress to oversee the city, for which a significant part of the La Ribera quarter was demolished. Work began in 1715 and the fortress performed its functions for 100 years, and in 1869, thanks to the Catalan General Prim, the territory of the fortress was placed at the disposal of the city for its transformation into a city park, which turned out to be very appropriate when preparing for the World Exhibition of 1888, so exactly how its 7 pavilions were built here. Three buildings have survived from the fortress: the arsenal rebuilt in 1932, the governor's palace and the chapel.
The gardens on the Plaza de Armes were designed by the French architect Jean Forestière, and the cascade of fountains in the center of the garden ensemble was created by the architect Josep Foncere with the participation of the young Antoni Gaudi. The cascade is crowned with the Arc de Triomphe, decorated with sculptural allegorical bas-reliefs.
Since 1920, the Zoological Museum has been located in the brick Castle of the Three Dragons, which was built as a cafe-restaurant for visitors to the World Exhibition. Behind the castle, a long building was built specifically for the Geological Museum, a little further - a greenhouse for tropical plants.
The park also houses the Barcelona Zoo, which is considered one of the most beautiful and comfortable in Europe. There are no cages and open-air cages, all animals are housed in conditions as close as possible to natural; ditches with water separate their territories.
