Montjuïc has always been one of the most important historic location of Barcelona. The name come from “Mount of the Jews” and this is thanks to old documents mentioning the existence of a Jewish cemetery in the mountain. Later on experts discovered archaeological remains confirming this existence.
Thanks to the emblematic Mountain this location was of great importance for military defense. In 1751 the military decided to construct a strongpoint on top of the mountain that was used for defense and control of the city early on. The fort was used to defend and rebel against the French in Spain’s Independence War. Also this fort was used to control the city, as from there several generals bombarded the city to maintain control of the rebelling population. Another use of this Fort was as a prison during Franco’s Dictatorship where several members of the opposition were executed and buried in Like Lluís Companys the President of Generalitat of Catalunya in 1940
Internationally the mountain was not really famous until the Universal Exposition of 1929, it served as a medium to do the first approximation of the metric system. Finally, after many attempts, Barcelona held the World Fair which meant the refurbishment of all the area surrounding the mountain.
As we mentioned in a previous blog Several palaces and pavilions were constructed for the World Fair like Palacio Nacional, main building of the Fair, or the German Pavilion of renowned architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
It is worth mentioning that between 1969 and 1975 4 Formula 1 Grand Prix were run in the mountains circuit. The circuit was semi-urban and thanks to an accident that killed 5 fans in 1975 the FIA decided to not hold any more races in this track.
Nowadays MontJuïc is one of Barcelona’s biggest sport “complex”. Thanks to 1992’s Olympic Games held in Barcelona, now all major sporting events take place in this area of Barcelona (without taking into F.C Barcelona and R.C.F Espanyol now play in their respective Stadiums).
For them to not go unused, after the Olympic Games the government succeeded in repurposing all the major buildings. The Olympic Stadium was used as the official F.C Espanyol stadiums temporary. Nowadays it’s also used as a Concert Stadium for big tours like Beyoncé last tour. The same happened with the Palau Sant Jordi, nowadays it’s a multi-purpose stadium allocating activities like MTV Awards, converts and Tennis Matches.
Montjuïc is one of Barcelona’s biggest tourist attraction thanks to the beauty gained due to the Universal Exposition and the Olympic games. Daily tourist visit the National Museum of Catalonian Art in the Palacio Nacional and the Fuente Magic, where you can enjoy an incredible spectacle of colored light and water.
You can enjoy a relaxing evening in MontJuïc by first visiting Plaça Espanya and the Palacio Nacional, after observe the light and water show of the Fuente Mágica. Ascend the mount and enjoy the views from Mirador de l’Alcade. Visit the Joan Miró foundation and the Gardens surrounding the Mirador.
Visit Montjuïc and tells us what was your favorite spot is!