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Montjuïc Itinerary
Looking out over the harbor we see the hill of Montjuïc, discovered in the 1800's, slowly urbanized since 1929 and culminated for the 1992 Olympic Games. Fairgrounds, first–rate museums, first-class sports facilities, lovely gardens and parks, a green lung for the city, Montjuïc is indeed a magnificent spot.
Walking around Montjuïc is the most pleasant way to visit this place, so take a walk from the Plaça de Espanya and pass between two large Venetian towers into the fairgrounds, enjoy here the beautiful view of Avinguda Reina Maria Cristina and the giant fountain, steps leading up you can get to the Palau Nacional. The Magic Fountain is a spectacle of light, water, color and music that can be enjoyed from the end of June to the end of September.
The huge Palau Nacional conserves the medieval treasures of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (Catalonian Museum of Art). To the right and below the Palau we can admire the 1985 reconstruction of the Pavilion that was designed by Mies van der Rohea, definitively, a jewel of vanguard architecture.
Going through Av. del Marquès de Comillas we arrive to the Poble Espanyol (Spanish Village) which is a complex comprising full–scale replicas of architectural structures from different regions of Spain, in this way it is possible to visit a typical corner in Castile, Andalusia, Galicia or even Catalonia. Here you can visit several craft workshops, the Museu d'Arts, Indústries I Tradicions Populars (Museum of Arts, Crafts and Popular Traditions); this complex has become a very popular night spot in the last few years .
Not far of the Poble Espanyol, the Av. Del Marquès de Comillas changes its name to Av. del Estadi, letting us to appreciate the beauty of the outline Olympic Ring. Here we can find all the buildings used for the 1992 Olympic Games, including the Olympic Stadium, a 1920's stadium remodeled for the occasion, the Palau d'Esports Sant Jordi (St. Jordi Sports Stadium) designed by the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, and the INEFC Pavilion by Ricardo Bofill.
Rising on the esplanade of the stadium we find the tower designed by the Santiago Calatrava. Above the Olympic Stadium is the Montjuïc Castle, which offers a wonderful sight of Barcelona and the plains of Baix Llobregat. Taking the Carretera Montjuïc, we can go to the Miramar esplanade with its splendid lookout platform over the port and sea. A few yards away, we will see the gardens Jardins Mossèn Costa i Llobera. In its interior is located the Amusement Park and if we continue descending by the Av.de Miramar, to the left we will see the Jardins Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer and a little farther along to the right, the Joan Miró Foundation; as fascinating as a museum as for the building.
At the end of Av. de Miramar, we willl find the entrance to the Palauet Albéniz, residence of famous guests, as well as the magnificent gardens, from there we go directly to the avenue of Santa Madrona, where are located one after the other the Ethnology Museum, Grec Theater and the Archeological Museum of Catalonia, in front of the Grec Theater we see the Jardins Laribal, the first garden built on Montjuïc and maybe the most beautiful on the hill. To the right hand of C.Lleida, we arrive at the Mercat de les Flors Theater and from here we exit the park of Montjuïc, arriving at the Av. del Parallel.
Back to: Barcelona Itineraries
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