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MONTJUÏC
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Montjuïc
Y
ou’ll need to reserve at least a day to see
Montjuïc
, the steep hill and
park rising over the city to the southwest. It takes its name from the
Jewish community that once settled on its slopes, and there’s been a
castle on the heights since the mid-seventeenth century. But it’s as a
cultural leisure park that contemporary Montjuïc is positioned, anchored
around the heavyweight art collections in the
Museu Nacional d’Art de
Catalunya
(
MNAC
). This unsurpassed national collection of Catalan art is
supplemented by works in two other superb galleries, namely international
contemporary art in the
Caixa Forum
and that of the famous Catalan artist
Joan Miró in the
Fundació Joan Miró
. In addition, there are separate archeo-
logical, ethnological, military and theatrical
museums
, quite apart from the
buildings and stadiums associated with the 1992
Olympics
, which was
centred on the heights of Montjuïc.
As late as the 1890s, the hill was nothing more than a collection of private
farms and woodland on the edge of the old town, though some landscaping
had already taken place by the time Montjuïc was chosen as the site of the
International Exhibition
of 1929. The slopes were then laid with gardens,
terraces and fountains, while monumental Neoclassical buildings were added
to the north side, many of them later adapted as museums.The famous
Poble
Espanyol
(SpanishVillage) – a hybrid park of collected Spanish buildings – is
the most extraordinary relic of the Exhibition, while the various lush
gardens
still provide enjoyment and respite from the crowds. Above all, perhaps, there
are the city and ocean views to savour from this most favoured of Barcelona’s
hills: from the steps in front of the Museu Nacional, from the castle ramparts,
from the Olympic terraces, or from the cable cars that zigzag up the steepest
slopes of Montjuïc.
The hill covers a wide area, so it’s vital to plan your visit carefully around
the various opening times. If you’re intent on covering everything, it might
be better to see Montjuïc in two separate visits – MNAC, Poble Espanyol
and Olympic area on one day, and Fundació Joan Miró, cable car and castle
on the other.There are several approaches to Montjuïc, depending on where
you want to start, and various means of
transport
around the hill: the box
on p.97 has all the details.The
Barcelona Card
,
Articket
and
Bus Turístic
pass
provide discounted entry into Montjuïc’s museums, galleries and attrac-
tions. Places to eat are thin on the ground, though there are good
cafés
in
Caixa Forum and the Fundació Joan Miró, outdoor snack bars at the castle
and on the slopes below MNAC, and a
restaurant
with outdoor terrace at
the Font del Gat in the Jardins Laribal, below the Fundació Joan Miró.There
are also plenty of decent restaurants and bars in the neighbouring
barri
of
Poble Sec
.