Jardins de Can Sentmenat, photo courtesy of Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
The Jardins de Can Sentmenat—popularly known as the “Eina Park” due to the EINA design school’s location on the grounds—are located at the foot of the Collserola mountains. Of all of Barcelona’s many parks, this one is notable because it’s one of the only 19th-century Romantic- and French-style gardens created by the Catalan aristocracy that retains its original look and feel today.
History: 1325 to 1995
The farmhouse that was originally constructed on the land in the year 1325, Masia Teixidó, was named after the man who built it: Guillem Teixidó. The parcel included approximately 10 hectares, nine of which were forest; Teixidó planted a flower garden and a vegetable garden or small orchard in the space between the house and the tree line.
At the beginning of the 17th century, the Marquise de Sentmenat acquired the property, and commissioned noted architect Andreu Bosch to build a neo-Gothic mansion on the site, as well as the ornate and decorative gardens we see today. They also transported certain decorative elements from other family properties, such as the ornate window frames and the main door, which date back to the 15th and 16th centuries.
Jardins de Can Sentmenat, photo by Òscar Giralt courtesy of Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
The property remained in the family for several generations, and was remodeled in the 19th century to give it the look it has today. For a time, the Sentmenats rented it to the French Consul, from 1960 through 1974, until they eventually sold the house and grounds to a real estate developer in 1974.
The Barcelona City Council was interested in preserving the building and the gardens for historical purposes, and negotiated an agreement with Nuñez i Navarro, the developer that had bought it, in 1992. The city negotiated a 35-year-lease to the EINA design school two years later, and the school opened in 1995 after some minor remodeling of the building. Albert Ràfols Casamada, the founder of the school, is the author of the mural that decorates the building’s entrance. Other artistic additions that occurred between the time that the city acquired the property and EINA’s inauguration include in the gargoyles on the building’s façade, which were created by sculptor Sergi Aguilar.
Jardins de Can Sentmenat, photo by Òscar Giralt courtesy of Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
The Mansion and Gardens
The gardens are structured around the former Sentmenat mansion, which has a wide terrace in front of the building that provides lovely views of both the city and the mountains. Beyond the terrace, the gardens are laid out in classical French style, with a circular pond surrounded by colorful flowerbeds. There is a promenade that separates the mansion from the gardens, which is watched over by seven life-size female statues. These were created by an unknown sculptor around the mid 1950s, during the time of the eighth Marquis de Sentmenat. Each one is slightly different; each representing one of the branches of the family tree, which dates back to the mid 12th century. These “branches” are the families Sentmenat, Ciutadilla, Sarriera, Jordán de Urríes, Patiño, Despujol and Osorio. Some of the sculptures have been damaged over the years; for example, the pieces representing the lineages Patiño and Ciutadilla are missing their heads.
On both sides of the building, the walls are covered in vines, giving the enclosure a romantic air. Behind the mansion are two additional terraces that mark the locations of the original Teixidó domestic gardens. Beyond that, an artificial waterfall and a pond lie between the terraces from the forest, which extends up the slopes of the Collserola mountains.
Jardins de Can Sentmenat, photo by Òscar Giralt courtesy of Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
The Park Today
The Jardins de Sentmenat have a stellar reputation in the local community, as it retains the old-world charm of a bygone era and also offers modern conveniences. It’s not only spacious but also exceptionally well-maintained. Not all of the city’s parks are as clean, or as green, as these gardens. The wide grassy area is popular with sunbathers and picnickers, and the paths that wind around the lake are frequently shared by cyclists and joggers.
Biodiversity thrives in the park, with many trees that are over a century, or even multiple centuries, old. These include impressive specimens of cedar, acacia, linden, cypress, yew, holm oak, lime and various species of palm and pine trees. Visitors will also find photinia, soapberries, strawberries, holly, bougainvillea, honeysuckle, creeping wire vine, wild asparagus and examples of many other kinds of shrubs and plants that flourish in the sculpted layout of this picturesque park.
The Jardins de Sentmenat are located at Carrer de Can Caralleu 14-16 in the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district. The best way to get there is by car or by bus; there are several bus lines with stops close to the gardens’ entrance, including the H2, V3, V7 and 130 lines. If you prefer to travel by train, the park is a 13-minute walk from the Reina Elisenda FGC station.