Montjuïch walk.

1. Plaça d´Espanya

(Mònica Domènech)

Plaça d'Espanya is one of Barcelona's most important squares, built on the occasion of

the 1929 International Exhibition, held at the foot of Montjuïc, in the Sants-

Montjuïc district.

One of the city's biggest squares, it is the junction of several major thoroughfares: Gran

Via de les Corts Catalanes, Avinguda del Paral·lel, Carrer de la Creu

Coberta and Carrer de Tarragona, and leads to the Palau Nacional through Avinguda

de la Reina Maria Cristina, which houses one of Catalonia's finest museums, the Museu

Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC). The fountain at the centre of the square was

designed by a collaborator of Antoni Gaudí.

(Rafa Callisaya)

The   Venetian Towers   (in Catalan: Torres Venecianes) is the popular name for a pair

of towers on Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina  an avenue commonly used to host

trade fairs. There is one tower on either side of the street.

The towers are 47m high, with a 7.2 metres square cross-section. The bottom section of

each is built of artificial stone, the main section of red brick, and the top section is

a colonnaded viewing gallery built of artificial stone, and topped by a

pyramidal copper roof. They were modelled on the campanile of St. Mark's

Basilica in Venice.

They serve a purely ornamental function, to mark the entrance to the exhibition district,

now known as Fira de Barcelona, and the start of the grand avenue leading up to the

Palau Nacional on Montjuïc, which houses the National Art Museum of Catalonia.

Originally, the towers were open to the public, who could climb the internal stairs to the

viewing galleries, but they are now closed.

(Jesús Martínez)

The Arenas de Barcelona , is a bullring - It was built in 1900 in the Moorish Revival

style and has been converted into a shopping center. The square was built on a site

that had been previously used for public hangings, until the creation of the now

demolished Ciutadella fortress in 1715, where the gallows were moved. It was

designed in 1915 and built in 1929 so that it could be ready to host the 1929 Universal

Exposition. The square has been in public use since then.

2. Montjuïch

(Aina Magnusson)

Etimology of Montjuïch is translated as "Jew Mountain" in medieval Catalan, or is

perhaps related to the Latin phrase Mons Jovicus ('hill of Jove'). Location of the same

name is also found in the city of Girona. When written in a Spanish rather

than Catalan context it is generally spelled Montjuich (this is old Catalan spelling before

the orthographic reforms of Pompeu Fabra).

(Sandra Iglesias)

Barcelona's Montjuïc is a broad shallow hill with a relatively flat top overlooking

the harbour, to the southwest of the city centre. The eastern side of the hill is almost a

sheer cliff, giving it a commanding view over the city's harbour immediately below. The

top of the hill (a height of 184,8 m) was the site of several fortifications, the latest of

which (the Castle of Montjuïc) remains today. The fortress largely dates from the 17th

century, with 18th-century additions. In 1842, the garrison (loyal to

the Madrid government) shelled parts of the city. It served as a prison, often holding

political prisoners, until the time of General Franco. The castle was also the site of

numerous executions. In 1897, an incident popularly known as Els processos de

Montjuïc prompted the execution of anarchist supporters, which then led to a severe

repression of the workers' struggle for their rights. On different occasions during

the Spanish Civil War, both Nationalists and Republicans were executed there, each at

the time when the site was held by their opponents. The Catalan nationalist leader Lluís

Companys i Jover was also executed there in 1940, having been extradited to the

Franco government by the Nazis.

(Dani Ruíz)

The   Palau Nacional , situated in Montjuïc (Barcelona), is a palace constructed between

the years 1926 and 1929 for the 1929 International Exhibition in Barcelona. Since 1934

it has been home to the National Art Museum of Catalonia. It was the main building of

the exhibition, The palace’s Oval Room was host to the opening ceremony of the

Exhibition,

The Palace has a ground surface and is constructed in a classic style of architecture

inspired by the Spanish Renaissance. It has a rectangular floor plan flanked by two side

and one rear square sections, with an elliptical dome covering its central part. The

fountains located by the staircases leading to the palace are the work of Carles Buïgas.

The National Palace is devoted to an exhibition of over 5,000 Spanish artworks. Its

decoration, 20th century in style, contrasts with the classical architectural style of the

building and is attributed to several catalan artists.

Between the years 1996 and 2004 the palace was extended with the objective of

creating space to accommodate the entire collection.

(Paula Docampo)

The   Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya   (abbreviated as MNAC) is the

national museum of Catalan visual art located in Barcelona. Situated on Montjuïc hill

the museum is especially notable for its outstanding collection of romanesque church

paintings, and for Catalan art and design from the late 19th and early 20th centuries,

including modernisme and noucentisme. The Museum is housed in the Palau Nacional

since 1934 and it was declared a national museum in 1990 under the Museums Law

passed by the Catalan Government. That same year, a thorough renovation process

was launched to refurbish the site. The Oval Hall was reopened in 1992 on the occasion

of the Olympic Games, and the various collections were installed there, as a

Romanesque Art section.

3. Montjuic Olympic Ring Elisenda Ochoa)

Montjuïch Olympic Ring: Built on the occasion of the 1992 Olympic Games, the

Olympic Stadium Lluís Companys, the Palau Sant Jordi , Bernat Picornell Pools and the

peculiar Torre Calatrava Telecommunications striking part of the city's Olympic Ring.

Palau Sant Jordi   is an indoor sporting arena and multi-purpose installation that is part

of the Olympic Ring complex of Barcelona . It was opened in 1990 and designed by

Japanese architect Arata Isozaki and the maximum seating capacity of the arena is

17,000 for basketball, and 24,000 for musical events. The Palau Sant Jordi was one of

the main venues of the 1992 Summer Olympics hosting the artistic

gymnastics, handball final, and volleyball final.[3]Nowadays, it is used for all kinds of

indoor sport events as well as for concerts and other cultural activities, due to its great

flexibility.

Outside Palau Sant Jordi can see “Canvi” the sculpture work of Japanese Aiko

Miyawaki, a set of 36 concrete columns topped with steel cables simulating a metallic

forest.

(Saskia Martín)

Sporting events : The stage has been home to many sporting events since its creation

for the 1992 Olympic Games. The stadium has been the venue for three Euroleague

Final Four and the 1997 EuroBasket. The most important tournament between nations

in men's tennis Davis Cup also took place at this stage twice against Australia 2000 and

2009 against the Czech Republic. He has also been the main installation on two world

swimming championships A temporary, regulation swimming pool was installed for the

occasion. Finally this year has hosted the 2013 World Handball.

4. Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys(Gabriela Flores)

Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys formerly known as the Estadi Olímpic de

Montjuïc or Barcelona Olympic Stadium) is a stadium  originally built in 1927 for

the 1929 International Exposition in the city (and Barcelona's bid for the 1936 Summer

Olympics, which were awarded to Berlin), it was renovated in 1989 to be the main

stadium for the 1992 Summer Olympics. The stadium has a capacity of 55,926 and is

located in the Anella Olímpica, in Montjuïc, a large hill to the southwest of the city which

overlooks the harbour. In 2001 the stadium was renamed after the former president of

the Generalitat de Catalunya Lluís Companys i Jover, who was executed at the nearby

Montjuïc Castle in 1940 by the Franco regime.

(Angie Sosa)

The Estadi Olímpic was designed by architect Pere Domènech i Roura for the 1929. It

was meant to host the People's Olympiad in 1936, a protest event against the 1936

Summer Olympics in Berlin, but the event had to be cancelled due the outbreak of

the Spanish Civil War. In the fifties, the stadium was the centerpiece of the 1955

Mediterranean Games, and in 1957 it hosted the only national football cupfinal

between FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol, the two local clubs.

In the seventies the stadium was disused, and the stands deteriorated. When

the Spanish Grand Prix and other races were held at the Montjuïc racing circuit, the

stadium was used as a paddock for the teams. Due to safety concerns, the 1975 F1

race was nearly boycotted by drivers.

Due to the award of the 1992 Summer Olympics to Barcelona, the stadium was

renovated with the involvement.

(Naiara Iriondo)

The stadium was gutted, preserving only the original facades, and new grandstands

were built. In 1989 the venue was reinaugurated for the World Cup in Athletics, and

three years later it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and

the athletics competitions of the Olympic Games.

The stadium served as the home of football club RCD Espanyol from 1997 until 2009

when moved to the newly constructed Estadi Cornellà-El Prat.

It also served as the home of the Barcelona Dragons American Football team until

2003.

In 2010, the stadium hosted the 20th European Athletics Championships.

5. The Albéniz Palace ,

(Ave María Villalba)

The Albéniz Palace: Also known as the Albéniz Mansion, is a palace located on the

mountain of Montjuïc, just behind the National Palace, inside the Joan Maragall

gardens. It was built for the 1929 Universal Exhibition to house the Spanish Royal

Family during the event. However, since another residence of the Royal Family was

also the brand new Pedralbes Royal Palace, the Albéniz Palace was later used to

accommodate many other monarchs and royal personages.

The structure of the palace, which is entirely made of stone and brick, is in the Catalan

style of Noucentisme and was inspired by the Royal Palace of La Granja de San

Ildefonso and the Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial in Madrid.

The palace is located inside Joan Maragall gardens, which is home to a variety of

Mediterranean and exotic plants. It contains beautiful outdoor sculptures and fountains.

In the 1970s, the palace was renovated and its interior was enriched with the works of

Salvador Dalí.

The name of the palace was given in the 1930s in honour of the great Catalan musician

Isaac Albéniz.

6. Fundació Joan Miró(Jordi Bretcha)

Fundació Joan Miró : The idea for the foundation was made in 1968 by Joan Miró who

formed the foundation with his friend Joan Prats. Miró wanted to create a new building

that would encourage particularly younger artists to experiment with contemporary art.

The building was designed to ensure that this work could also be made available to the

public and exhibited. Fundació Miró has courtyards and terraces and to create a

natural path for visitors to move through the building.

Building began on the mountain of Montjuïc and the foundation opened on 10 June

1975. It was claimed that the new foundation represented a new way of viewing the

concept of a museum and how the people of Barcelona could relate to their cultural

heritage.

Expansion in 1986 to the building added an auditorium and a library which holds some

of the 10,000 items in the Foundation and Miró's collection.

7. Funicular de Montjuïc(Icíar Romero)

The Funicular de Montjuïc , or Montjuïc funicular, is a funicular railway in the city of

Barcelona. The line is largely in tunnel and connects the Barcelona Metro Paral·lel

station with the hill of Montjuïc and the various sporting and other facilities there. The

funicular uses the same fares as the metro and is listed on maps as part of the metro.

The line was opened in 1928, in order to serve the International Exhibition of 1929. It

was extensively reconstructed in 1992, in order to cope with traffic to and from the

Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys and other facilities used for the 1992 Summer

Olympics, situated on the Montjuïc hill.

8. Bernat Picornell Pools(Ximena Domínguez

Piscinas Bernat Picornell is a swimming venue situated in the Olympic Ring in

Montjuïc, Barcelona. The venue consists of three swimming pools: a 50m indoor pool, a

50m outdoor pool, and a pool for diving. It hosted the swimming events, synchronized

swimming events, the water polo final, and the swimming part of the modern pentathlon

event for the 1992 Summer Olympics. The swimming pools are of public use and are

open all year long. The venue, named after the Catalan swimmer and founder of the

Spanish Swimming Federation Bernat Picornell i Richier, was built to host the 1970

European Aquatics Championships. In 1990, refurbishment works began for the 1992

Olympics; the main changes were that the training pool was covered and that temporary

grandstands were installed, boosting the capacity to more than 10,000 spectators.

Since the 1992 Olympics, the outdoor swimming pool, with capacity for 3,000

spectators, has hosted several Spanish and Catalan swimming championships.