l’Umbracle del Parc de la Ciutadella (Barcelona)

l’Umbracle del Parc de la Ciutadella, #3, Barcelona, 2022

The 1888 Universal Exposition

This was one of Spain’s first chances to shine on the international stage in the new, modern world, recently shaken by the Industrial Revolution, and well over two million visitors attended.

So, much of what you see now in the Parc de la Ciutadella was originally built, or improved on, in the late 19th century for this “world’s fair“–the huge golden sculpture/fountains/pond in the northeast corner, the Arc de Triomf, the Castell dels Tres Dragons, the Museu Martorell (Geology), the Mercat del Born, a general enlargement and improvement of the Parc itself… and, of course, the Umbracle (“Shade House”, maybe?), which is the subject of this post. (A side note: Although located some two kilometers away, at the end of “Las Ramblas“, the iconic–now despised?–Columbus Monument was also built in peparation for this Universal Exposition.)

The Exposition had a huge effect on Barcelona, modernizing much of the city’s center and turning la Ciutadella into Barcelona’s biggest park.

The Architects

As far as I can discern from Sra. Google, the process went something like this (please correct me in the Comments section if I am wrong):

Original construction dates of this brick, wood, and iron structure: 1883 to 1887

Josep Fontserè i Mestre (1829-1897) – Designed three of the nearby buildings, their associated gardens, as well as the Umbracle. So, he was the main master mind.

Jaume Gustà i Bondia (1853-1932) – Turned the Umbracle into an event, party, and conference center specifically for the Universal Exposition of 1888.

Elías Rogent i Amat (1821-1897) – Post-Exposition, began the process of converting the Umbracle back to its original purpose as a sort of shaded “green house”.

Josep Amargós i Samaranch (1849-1918) – Finished the Umbracle in, more or less, its present form.

In 1988, as part of the centennial celebration of the 1888 Universal Exposition, the Umbracle received a renovation and face-lift courtesy of the city government (Parcs i Jardins del l’Ajuntament de Barcelona). At that time, they also improved and added to the unusual mix of plants in the structure.

Current Condition

The plants and the garden within the building are very well maintained and it is a wonderful place to be alone with your thoughts… to drift off into a bit of meditation, perhaps. There are even some nice iron benches throughout, upon which you can unfold your weary bones and contemplate the Universe… or enjoy the company of a loved one.

For you gardeners, here are some of the interesting plants you will find inside (common names): Adam’s rib plant, Elephant ears, Ponytail palm, Chinese fan palm, Cape wild banana, Kentia palm, Pygmy date palm, et al. You will definitely feel the green-green tropical/subtropical “onda” (vibe) along with the extra oxygen and humidity the plants seem to generate.

The outside of the structure, unfortunately, is definitely showing the climactic tribulations of the years and another renovation is certainly overdue. The Museu Martorell, next door, is currently closed, fenced off, and looks like it is undergoing just such an upgrade right now, so perhaps the Umbracle is also on the same list for repairs. Hope so–it’s a nice little, hidden gem!

If you wish to visit, be aware that the Umbracle, according to the posted sign, is open only on work days from 0800-1400 hours.

Photography

I normally dislike doing any photography on sunny days or under the harsh noon sun. However, on this day, and knowing something of the nature of this edification, I decided to visit the Umbracle to see if I could actually work with the high contrast mid-day conditions rather than fighting or avoiding them. Going monochrome was my pre-conceived idea as B&W sometimes works better than color under this harsher light. All pictures were made with the Nikon D850 sans tripod (bring one if you like, though), then worked a bit in Adobe Photoshop Elements, and finally converted to monochrome in my go-to plug-in for that purpose, DxO’s Silver Efex Pro.

I will likely come back on an overcast, rainy day–when the sky is acting like a giant soft box–to see what images might show themselves. I’m fairly certain the picture collection will look quite different.

Below are this particular day’s results.

Exterior shots. This south entrance is always locked, so enter on the north side:

l’Umbracle del Parc de la Ciutadella, #13, Barcelona, 2022

l’Umbracle del Parc de la Ciutadella, #11, Barcelona, 2022

l’Umbracle del Parc de la Ciutadella, #10, Barcelona, 2022

l’Umbracle del Parc de la Ciutadella, #40, Barcelona, 2022

The interior, showing the extensive wood, brick, and iron work. With the wide angle lens set at f/16, the Sun sparkles through the slats–you just have to experiment with how much of the Sun’s disc to reveal to get the best star effect: