Parc de Joan Miró: From Slaughterhouse to Green Space
Of all the parks and green spaces that Barcelona has to offer—from the famous Parc Guëll to the silent hills of the Parc Natural de Collserola—what sets the Parc de Joan Miró apart from the rest?
History
During the years immediately following Franco’s death, a number of old pieces of infrastructure were torn down and replaced with parks and other socially-minded projects, such as this particular park. It was designed in a collaboration between four Catalan architects—Màrius Quintana, Andreu Arriola, Beth Galí and Antoni Solanas—and is sometimes referred to as the parc de l'escorxador (or parque del matadero in Spanish) because it was built on the site of the city’s old slaughterhouse, which was demolished in 1979.
The design takes advantage of the concept by 19th-century urban engineer Ildefons Cerdà, when he created the grid-based plan that shaped Barcelona’s Eixample. His plan was revolutionary at the time, and Cerdà is often credited with having invented the concept of urban planning based around the concept of improving the health and welfare of the general public.
Design
The park's plan includes a large cement square designed to host public events, with wooden platforms and gazebos scattered around nearby. There is an artificial lake and water channels designed to cool the park; walking paths shaded by trees; gardens featuring a variety of native flora and fauna, and which were intended to encourage local biodiversity; as well as calm wooded areas populated by pine, poplar, palm, and holm oak trees. A 6,000-square-meter green area covers a massive water tank and an underground parking lot.
The crown jewel and main attraction of the park is the eye-catching, 22-meter-high statue Dona i Ocell (Woman and Bird) in the western quadrant of the park, which is covered in a colorful mosaic of ceramic tiles, and is instantly recognizable as Miró’s emblematic style. The original title of the sculpture was supposed to be Dona-Bolet amb Barret de Lluna (Lady-Mushroom with a Moon Hat), and a crescent-moon-shaped form does indeed sit atop the abstract female figure. This piece is an example of Miró’s highly personal visual vocabulary of stars, moons, birds and other dreamlike shapes that were an integral part of his work in any medium.
The original design for the park featured twenty additional works by the artist, which were never realized. Miró died soon after the park was opened to the public.
What to Do in the Park
The park, which was inaugurated in 1983, covers four entire manzanas of Cerdà’s grid in la Nova Esquerra d l’Eixample (the “new left side” of Eixample), and offers pétanque courts, designated areas to walk your dog, ping-pong tables, six children’s play areas—including a small zip line, swings, a slide and a climbing tower made of thick red elastic ropes—an outdoor bar (or xiringuito), and a 700-meter sports circuit where you can walk or jog. You can also take advantage of the quiet wooded areas and simply go for a leisurely stroll.
The Joan Miró Library, which is located just inside the northeastern section of the park, is an attractive building surrounded by water and cypress trees. The library specializes in the life and work of the artist, and contains important records and original documents not found anywhere else. It also organizes regular family-friendly and community-oriented activities.
The Parc de Joan Miró is open every day from 10:00 to 19:00, and is sandwiched between several metro stops: Espanya (L1, L3), Rocafort (L1), Sants Estació (L3, L5), and Tarragona (L3). It’s a stone’s throw from the Arenas shopping center, and is also a stop on the “red” route of the ubiquitous hop-on, hop-off tourist buses, if you’re just visiting the city. You can walk from Plaça d’Espanya towards the Magic Fountain and upwards to the museum MNAC and Montjuïc mountain, which offers a plethora of things to do and see, including the Fundaciò Joan Miró.