Parc de l'Espanya Industrial

Muntadas, 1-37 Phone: 010 www.bcn.cat/parcsijardins

About

At the Parc de l'Espanya Industrial you’ll find a small boating lake, a giant sculpture of a dragon (which doubles up as a slide for kids), grassy areas, Mediterranean trees and sports fields. This is the perfect spot for a peaceful family picnic far from the noise and bustle of the city. A vast textile mill known as La España Industrial stood on the site now occupied by the park until well into the 20th century. The existence of the park today is proof of the strength of the community movements of the 1970s when the owners of the mill, which had moved to new premises, wanted to build new housing on the site. The City Council gave the green light to using the site as a public space for the neighbourhood and, in 1985, the Parc de l'Espanya Industrial opened, designed by the Basque architect Luis Peña Ganchegui. The giant metal dragon by the sculptor Andrés Nagel, who also hails from the Basque Country, was added two years later. It is 32 metres wide and 12 metres high. A number of sculptures created for the 1929 International Exhibition were taken out of storage in the municipal warehouses and displayed in the park. These include Neptune, by Manuel Fuxà, Venus by José Pérez Peresejo, and the Oxen of Plenty, by Antoni Alsina. The nine tall towers, like monumental lighthouses, stand at the top of the white steps which lead down to the water, and give the park its characteristic feel. If you go down to the boating lake or hire a boat, you’ll find birds such as grey herons, tufted ducks, ferruginous ducks and red-crested pochards.
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