The 18-hectare park is filled with paths and green spaces that tourists and residents of all ages can use to escape from the heat and the noise of the city and is one of the most relaxing places to spend a weekend afternoon in the center of town.
The site of the park was originally land where King Felipe V constructed a massive military citadel in 1715, after the city of Barcelona surrendered on September 11, 1714 at the end of the War of Spanish Succession.
It wasn’t until 1869 that the citadel was turned over to the city by Catalan politician and military leader General Joan Prim, in an effort to curry favor with the local bourgeoisie industrial class. His one condition was that the citadel be torn down and the space be converted into a park. The former arsenal, now the location of the Catalan Parliament; the chapel, now the Military Parish Church of Barcelona; the Governor's Palace, now Verdaguer Secondary School, are all that remain of the original citadel’s construction.
Updated May 15, 2025.
