Description
The Arc de Triomf is a triumphal arch in Barcelona with no victory to celebrate. It stands at the head of a wide tree-lined promenade, Passeig de Lluís Companys, that leads to Ciutadella Park, and it is built of red brick in a Moorish-flavored style.
The city built it as the main gate of the 1888 Universal Exposition, and its theme was welcome, not war. Unlike Paris's Arc de Triomphe or London's Wellington Arch, it does not celebrate military victories. Its main frieze is called Barcelona Welcomes the Nations.
Architect Josep Vilaseca chose exposed red brick, easier and cheaper than stone, and dressed it in glazed ceramics, in a Neo-Mudéjar style that already hints at Modernisme. It took the place of a far bolder plan: a tower over 250 meters tall.
The details reward a close look. Stone bats, the emblem of King James I, perch on the pillars. The voussoirs form a large laurel wreath carrying the coats of arms of the 49 provinces of Spain in 1888, with Barcelona's on top, larger than the rest.
On the other side, an early frieze by Josep Llimona, Recompense, shows the awards being given to the fair's participants.
The side friezes carry allegories of agriculture, industry and trade by Antoni Vilanova, and of sciences and arts by Torquat Tassó. The main frieze is the work of Josep Reynés, so each face of the arch tells its own story.
Josep Vilaseca drew it as a gate, and its brick masses frame the walk like a stage set.
The Exposition lost money, but the arch, its emblem together with the Columbus Monument, was never taken down. It still opens the promenade that leads to Ciutadella Park, on the grounds where the fair once stood, the gateway to the city's modern age, and it is a good starting point for a walk through the Ribera quarter.
The city built it as the main gate of the 1888 Universal Exposition, and its theme was welcome, not war. Unlike Paris's Arc de Triomphe or London's Wellington Arch, it does not celebrate military victories. Its main frieze is called Barcelona Welcomes the Nations.
Architect Josep Vilaseca chose exposed red brick, easier and cheaper than stone, and dressed it in glazed ceramics, in a Neo-Mudéjar style that already hints at Modernisme. It took the place of a far bolder plan: a tower over 250 meters tall.
The details reward a close look. Stone bats, the emblem of King James I, perch on the pillars. The voussoirs form a large laurel wreath carrying the coats of arms of the 49 provinces of Spain in 1888, with Barcelona's on top, larger than the rest.
On the other side, an early frieze by Josep Llimona, Recompense, shows the awards being given to the fair's participants.
The side friezes carry allegories of agriculture, industry and trade by Antoni Vilanova, and of sciences and arts by Torquat Tassó. The main frieze is the work of Josep Reynés, so each face of the arch tells its own story.
Josep Vilaseca drew it as a gate, and its brick masses frame the walk like a stage set.
The Exposition lost money, but the arch, its emblem together with the Columbus Monument, was never taken down. It still opens the promenade that leads to Ciutadella Park, on the grounds where the fair once stood, the gateway to the city's modern age, and it is a good starting point for a walk through the Ribera quarter.