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Parc de la Devesa
Arbreda dedicada a la contenció fluvial a l’areny entre el riu Ter i el Güell —avui desviat—; amb 40 ha de superfície, és una de les platanedes urbanes més grans que es coneixen. Daten del 1400 les concessions reials per a l’explotació de la fusta, i del 1424 la donació estatal del parc a la ciutat. El mite n’atribueix la creació a l’època napolèonica: de fet, s’hi produí planimetria, reposició després del setge i ús com a camp de Mart (Vacani, Lamarque). El projecte es materialitza en els passeigs principals, la glorieta, els jardins afrancesats i els brolladors i l’ús sistemàtic del plàtan; la funció de parc urbà com a únic lloc d’esbarjo estiuenc s’allargarà fins a la generació del week-end rodat. Del 1891 al 1979 van clapejar el parc diverses concessions privades —plaça de toros, estadi d’atletisme, piscines, hípica, restaurant—, i des del 1966 un cinturó viari n’ha accentuat l’esmorteïda accessibilitat. Un pla especial del 1985-86, escassament aplicat, en va plantejar la recuperació amb la creació d’eixos per a vianants, l’eliminació d’opacitats concessionals, l’ampliació de les zones assolellades, la connexió amb el nord sobre el riu, etc. Els debats respecte als nous usos i la revitalització perduren el 2008. L’any 1996, la pressió dels comerciants per ubicar-hi àmplies zones d’aparcament va mediatitzar el projecte de vialitat, accessibilitat i espais perifèrics. A la perifèria trobem el palau firal (Llist. & Monts.,1987-89), part d’un ambiciós projecte amb auditori i palau de congressos —finalment guanyat per Bosch i Tarrús—, un gràcil edicle turístic (J. Bosch, 1964) i l’orgànic local Rosaleda (1963), de Masramon, Negre, Duixans i Masgrau.1837 - 1857
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1862
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1873
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1880
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Development of La Ciutadella Park
Josep Fontserè i Mestre, Elies Rogent Amat, Antoni Rovira i Trias
The Ciutadella Park extends over the remains of the old fort that was built in the 18th century to control Barcelona militarily, together with the Montjuïc Castle, and to be able to subject the city to crossfire if it revolted again. Once the space around the city had been cleared and the Cerdà plan had begun its works, the military imposed the condition that the land should be turned into a park for the fort’s demolition. This is submitted to a competition, which is won by Josep Fontserè thanks to his ability to hand over the land against the remains of the Ribera district, demolished precisely to build the fort, and against the growing city organised by Cerdà. Against the Ribera district, Fontserè organises an urbanization which depends on the Passeig del Born and the current Passeig Picasso, both parallel, culminating in the Born market. Against the Eixample, Fontserè has what will become the Passeig de Sant Joan. The project suffers from two major setbacks: the first one happens when Fontserè is forced to preserve part of the Ciutadella buildings (such as the one that currently houses Parliament of Catalonia) and to have a water tank that ends up being turned into a monumental waterfall. Fontserè does the project with the collaboration of Antoni Gaudí, then still a student. The second setback is the 1898 Exhibition, which delays its development. This is carried out episodically over the following decades, never completed on the southern slope where Mayor Porcioles will end up building the Zoo that prevents the connection with Poblenou. Today, all the romantic-inspired gardens, preserved by existing buildings and those built in the early 20th century, which produce one of the most pleasant walks in the city, are preserved. The monumental waterfall, where Gaudí played a decisive role, is still open to the public and can be visited. The park is guarded by a perimeter fence and the Zoo is still awaiting relocation. When this is done, the park will finally reach its original perimeter.1872 - 1881
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1875 - 1881
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Samà Park
Situat als afores de Cambrils, camí de Montbrió del Camp va ser projectat per Josep Fontserè i Mestre l’any 1881. Va ser encarregat i promogut per Salvador Samà i Torrents, marquès de Marianao. Es tracta d’un jardí botànic clos, d’unes 14 hectàrees, d’estil romàntic. És una de les últimes i més importants mostres d’aquest estil a Catalunya. El gust i el traç per recrear lo exòtic, són l’eix vertebrador del projecte. El parc comença sent el jardí de la casa, aquesta recreació d’un paisatge exòtic amb aires romàntics porta associada la construcció de diferents recintes per tal d’allotjar animals, portats d’arreu del món, per tal de constituir el zoològic privat del marquès. Actualment, la presència d’animals és quasi anecdòtica; tot i que les construccions de rocalla, simulant coves i grutes naturals, encara es conserven. La morfologia i ordenació del parc es basa en la generació d’uns eixos principals, envoltats de plantacions simètriques i ortogonals (de plataners, palmeres, oliveres i ametllers entre d’altres), que envolten la casa. A mesura que ens n’allunyem aquests eixos, es converteixen en camins, amb formes més orgàniques i sinuoses, adaptant-se a la topografia, i multiplicant les possibilitats de recorregut. Les plantacions regulars es van desfent i integrant en agrupacions, franges i clars tal i com si ens trobéssim en mig del bosc. Construccions com la torre-mirador, la font-sortidor, el llac i la glorieta, o el canal i la cascada, van generant diferents escenografies que recreen els diferents paisatges i ambients del jardí.1881
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1883 - 1884
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1884
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1884 - 1887
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Restitution of the Shade Structure in La Ciutadella Park
Edifici aïllat projectat per Josep Fontserè el 1883 i presentat al concurs públic per a la construcció del parc de la Ciutadella amb usos culturals i lúdics dins un programa científic ambiciós juntament amb el Museu Martorell de Geologia i l'Hivernacle. L'estructura està marcada per l'ús del ferro i per la secció lobulada, en un assaig modern i d'avantguarda en l'ús de nous materials i estructures. Els pilars són de foneria i les bigues i les jàsseres són corbes formant un espai cobert trilobulat: un arc central més gran i dos més petits a cada lateral, tot cobert de fusta. L'espai lobulat de tot l'interior queda trencat per les dues façanes que tenen la part superior de maó vist. La façana s'estructura de manera tripartida seguint les voltes centrals de mig punt de l'interior. La part central, amb una gran obertura de la mateixa fusta que la coberta, presenta maó vist a la part superior amb decoracions de maçoneria com són els tres pinacles que sobresurten escalonadament. Els laterals segueixen la mateixa estructura reproduïda a petita escala i amb finestres.1888
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Parc Municipal Teodoro González
Coincidint amb l'eixample de la ciutat, es projecta aquest parc urbà al lloc on hi havien les drassanes, anomenat Camp dels Titets. En el seu disseny hi trobem, clarament diferenciats, dos tractaments paisatgístics: avingudes de plàtans que ofereixen inacabables perspectives deixen lloc a petits i laberíntics passeigs, dibuixats amb vegetació, a la zona mes propera al riu. És precisament aquí on trobem un tractament modernista en els materials i en el traçat de l'enjardinament (escalinata i llac). L'eterna manca d'equipaments de la ciutat han fet d'aquest generós oasis punt de trobada dels esdeveniments ciutadans: desfilades, concerts, fires, competicions esportives, pàrquing...1885 - 1892
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1892
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1894
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Gardens of Can Gari
Magnificent garden area with banana trees and palm trees, and forest areas with pine and oak trees. Within the extensive property of Can Garí in Cros d'Argentona, a large garden was designed that completed the work of remodeling the estate that Josep Puig i Cadafalch carried out between 1898 and 1900. Nicolau M. Rubió i Tudurí was the first to intervene in the design through the combination of natural spaces with the distribution of tree areas, mainly pines, which responded to leaving a free nature next to other modeled ones. The garden was designed to walk through by means of paths, stepped terraces made of exposed brick, pergolas (some recall the work he was carrying out in the Montjuïc Park, in Barcelona), pointing out points of view that open up to broad perspectives. The presence of vegetation is combined with sculptures that give the gardens a more human dimension. Wooded spaces have been recreated, others with the presence of cacti and a large pond in the middle of which is the glass temple of Baccarat with the figure of Hermes in bronze, or the dots of wrought iron lanterns all resume the stately character of the place. This garden with the presence of sculptures and areas with citrus trees, so characteristic of the Mediterranean and Italian villas, enters fully into the Noucentisme style. The gardening work was continued by Lluís Bonet and Garí, with whom they shared the same ideology linked to the Noucentisme period.1898 - 1900
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1901
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1903
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Ca l'Artigas Gardens
Garden built around a fountain, the Llobregat River, and a factory, promoted by its owner, the industrialist Joan Artigas Alart. The garden is structured around the two cliffs on either side of the river, connected by two bridges: one is a lopsided arch leading to a pavilion, and the other has a pergola roof made of concrete covered in stone. The design recalls certain aspects of Park Güell, though on a smaller scale, which was being built around the same time in Barcelona’s Gràcia district. Similarly, the Artigas Garden features organic lines perfectly integrated into the natural surroundings, and even includes an artificial grotto. The garden was conceived as a promenade, with a defined route highlighting key landmarks: the Belvedere (Glorieta), the Cave (Cova) — originally the site of the Magnesia Fountain and built using catenary arches — the Waterfall (a fountain made of stone in the broken, Gaudí-esque style), and the picnic area beside the bridge. Construction began with the grotto next to the Magnesia Fountain, which gives the garden its name. It has an elongated shape following the river gorge. Nearby, the lopsided-arch bridge has steps leading up to the Belvedere, topped with a conical roof covered in small stones. Along the route, several animals are represented — a lion and an ox in two fountains, and an eagle at the foot of the stairs; these figures, together with an angel (now missing), are believed to symbolise the four evangelists. Throughout the garden there are numerous balustrades and flowerbeds, fountains, bridges, waterfalls, squares, viewpoints, benches and sculptures (such as the figures of a man and a woman carrying baskets on their heads). The work is primarily built of stone and mortar, reinforced to varying degrees. The garden incorporated the natural vegetation of the area — firs, Scots pines, beeches, and boxwoods — complemented by the planting of poplars. The Artigas Gardens, also known as the ‘Parc de la Magnesia’ due to the spring that feeds them, are located beside what was once the textile factory owned by Joan Artigas Alart, who also promoted the garden’s construction. Although no documentary proof exists, several scholars — notably Joan Bassegoda Nonell — have attributed the design to Antoni Gaudí. It appears that in 1905, Gaudí visited the Asland Portland Cement Factory being built at Clot del Moro (Castellar de n’Hug), invited by Eusebi Güell Bacigalupi (1846–1918), one of the project’s promoters. The architect stayed for two days at Joan Artigas’s house, where Artigas asked him for ideas to landscape the area around the fountain. It is believed that Gaudí made some sketches and later sent a builder from Park Güell to collaborate with local masons in the garden’s construction. Both the sketches and the project plans were lost in the 1939 fire that destroyed the Artigas factory. In the 1950s, the Artigas family moved to Barcelona, and the garden was abandoned. A former labourer who had worked there as a young man later shared his recollections with the local historian Àngel Francàs, who published them in El Correo Catalán on August 14 and December 22, 1971. Years later, the Gaudí Chair, the School of Architecture, and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia began researching the authorship of the garden. Joan Bassegoda, then director of the Gaudí Chair, formally attributed the original design of the gardens to Gaudí in an article published in La Vanguardia in 1989. In 1992, the site underwent restoration, and today the gardens are open to the public. They are municipally owned and can be accessed via a stop on the Alt Llobregat Tourist Railway.1905 - 1907
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Can Buxeres Palace
Manuel Joaquim Raspall i Mayol, Antoni Serrallach Fernández-Periñán
The Can Boixeres complex, which is now a municipal park, was originally the garden of a manor house, which is still preserved within the park. Inside the park there is a great variation of elements such as trees, flower plantations, sculptures, fountains... Two sculptures worth noting are "The Family", by Héctor Cesena, and "The Girl with the Pigeon", a nude by Rafael Solanic. "The Family" is a sculpture in white marble, about two metres high including the pedestal, which represents a man holding a woman by the shoulder who is carrying a child in her arms. The figures are life-size. The style is realistic but schematic, hinting at the lines of the composition and the figures but avoiding detail, except for the faces. "The Girl with the Dove" is a sculpture in white marble, about 80 cm high plus a 20 cm pedestal, representing a life-size nude girl in a crouching position holding a dove in her hands. The style is clearly Noucentista, reflecting the influences of Arístides Mallol and, above all, Esteve Monegal, the sculptor’s main teacher. The concrete base is a later addition. There is a modernist pavilion with a circular floor plan, covered with a dome supported by six columns. The drum-shaped dome is decorated with glazed ceramic mosaic. The columns are made of concrete, have small capitals and are decorated with white mosaic on the upper part and dark mosaic on the lower part. A wrought-iron gate encloses the pavilion. There are steps leading up to the building. Inside the park, apart from the manor house, there is also the land. It is a building with a ground floor, a first floor and an attic, with a gable roof and the ridge perpendicular to the main façade. The entrance doorway is paved, with an elliptical arch, and the rest of the openings are rectangular, with rounded lintels, while the jambs alternate stuccoed and smooth voussoirs. The façade has a corrugated roof that hides the roof. On both sides there are two single-storey additions, which on the first floor form a balcony enclosed by a balustrade. A wall over which the railway passes surrounds the garden. The facing is made of stone for the load-bearing structures (the lower parts of the gates, the pilasters that divide the sections, the triangular buttresses...) and of brick for the semicircular arches of the gates. On the road to Esplugues there is a large stone and iron gateway in the Classicist style, with Corinthian pilasters and the date 1911 can be read at the top of the gate. Can Buxeres is the former Can Alemany, owned by the Counts of Alemany, which already existed in 1770. Between 1877 and 1906, the building, owned by Lluís Buixeres, was converted into a mansion. In the following years, the garden surrounding the house, which is now a municipal park, was created. The garden was developed in 1906-1911 and underwent radical transformations when it was declared a public park on the 8th of November 1972.1901 - 1911
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1902 - 1912
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El Puig de les Tres Creus
The hill of the three crosses is accessed via a winding path that partly coincides with the Via Crucis that leaves from the Rocaprevera sanctuary. The top of the hill is completely flat and a terrace has been built with stone slabs. The edge has a railing made of stone posts supporting an iron handrail. On the east side are the three crosses on a stone base. The central cross is larger than the others. It is a representation of Calvary, with Jesus in the centre and the two thieves on either side. The crosses are made of iron and have a base of chipped stone with a column and polygonal capital. The crosses are Greek with a circle connecting the arms. The compass rose is depicted on the pavement and marks the location of nearby towns and peaks. It seems that before 1686 there were three wooden crosses in the same place. The Feast of the Holy Cross was celebrated here on the 3rd of May. A Way of the Cross procession would leave the church of Sant Feliu and reach this peak. Afterwards, a procession with litany chants would take place. In 1736, the crosses were repaired, as they were made of wood and easily damaged. At the beginning of the 20th century, the main cross was made of wood and the others were made of iron and placed on a stone column. In 1913, the Constantinian festivities were celebrated and new crosses were placed, which were paid for by public subscription.1913
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Park Güell
The park is the result of the purchase by Barcelona City Council of the urbanisation of a luxury neighborhood designed by Gaudí and promoted by Eusebi Güell that never came to be. What can currently be visited are the landscaping of sixty undeveloped plots at the foot of Mount Pelada, with magnificent views of Barcelona, and the common parts of the project: the paths, access, market, central square. Gaudí urbanises the mountain with streets that follow the minimum sloping lines and four bridges built with material from the clearing of the plots. The retaining porch walls inside which can be circulated, covered with local stone, are exceptional. Both the bridges and the porch are crowned by unique columns crowned in turn by planters where agaves are planted. The heart of the urbanisation had to be an elevated square that instead of a perimeter railing has a corrugated bench designed and built with prefabricated concrete by his collaborator Josep Maria Jujol, finished with some breakwaters that are worth discovering in detail. Below the square is a hypostyle room that was to house the market, with twisted columns to work with as little effort as possible. The columns are empty and below them is a water tank that should cover the entire park. Some are removed in order to make room for larger stops and are replaced by medallions, also designed by Jujol. The ensemble is accessed by an imperial staircase that has, on the axis of symmetry, a spectacular dragon made of trencadís that has become one of Barcelona’s landmarks. The fence that guards the park at the entrance, finished with two asymmetrical pavilions, is equally remarkable. One of the pavilions currently houses the Gaudí Museum.1900 - 1914
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Garden fence in Carrer del Munt
Entrance gate to the courtyard of a house consisting of two columns decorated with broken mosaics and an iron gate and bars. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century by the local builder Francesc Morera.1915
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1914 - 1929
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20th century







































