The elegance of nature

With their ornamental fountains, rows of enormous trees, numerous sculptures and plants from French landscape gardening of the 20th century, it is no surprise that the Joan Maragall Gardens are considered to be among the most elegant in Barcelona. What’s more, they surround the Neoclassical Albéniz Palace, the official residence of the royal family on their visits to Barcelona.

Designed by Jean-Claude-Nicolas Forestier in 1929 for the Barcelona International Exposition, the Joan Maragall Gardens are a place of serenity where silence and the gentle bubbling water are the main sounds. The extensive lawns with typical Mediterranean trees such as olives and holm oaks are interspersed with more exotic species such as Cycas revoluta. The granite sand paths enable us to explore the garden and its different corners. At the main entrance, a large avenue of magnolias featuring a large pond with water jets in the centre lead to the foot of the hill in front of the palace. Above, a semicircular square, surrounded by Cyprus trees and dominated by the Statue of Serena is the antechamber to a small amphitheatre.

Music and poetry

The palace, also built in 1929 by Joan Moya,is a neo-classical style building of great architectural value that was remodelled and refurbished in 1970, giving it the appearance it has today. The palace is named after the musician Isaac Albéniz, as, for a while, the option of establishing the Museum of Music there was considered, although in the end this did not happen. Also in 1970, the gardens were extended and became known as the Joan Maragall Gardens, in honour of the Catalan poet.

Walking through these royal parks, which are not always open to the public, is to enter another world, an experience that enables visitors to observe what the man idealised as a paradise on earth.