Ciutadella, or Ciutadella Park, has adorned Barcelona's Old Town since 1888. A magnificent park with manicured lawns and avenues impresses with its contrasts: tall palm trees stand side by side with elms and poplars here, and masterpieces of architecture from past centuries rise among the green lawns.
The jewel of Ciutadella Park is considered to be the Cascada Fountain - a work of art created by Antonio Gaudi and Josep Fontsere. This multi-tiered fountain is adorned with beautiful statues - griffins, pegasi, cupids, and Greek goddesses.
In the middle of the park there is a large lake, with turtles basking on its shore and little fish splashing in the water, which can be seen more closely by renting a boat for a leisurely ride.
About a third of the huge park is occupied by the Barcelona Zoo, and this is also where the Zoological Museum is located, housed in the Castle of the Three Dragons, which was built for the opening of the 1888 World's Fair. In fact, almost all of the park's buildings were created specifically for this occasion.
Until the second half of the XIX century, a gloomy fortress - the Citadel - towered here. The fortress was built by the Spanish king Philip V in 1714, after Barcelona, which had sided with Spain's enemy in the War of the Spanish Succession, capitulated. The occupier's fortress right in the center of the city was a symbol of defeat for the people of Barcelona, so they wanted to get rid of it for many years. In 1869, they finally received permission to demolish the citadel and laid out a magnificent park in its place.
