Barcelona

The two dominant features of the park’s vegetation are the large grass meadows and two long rows of perfectly aligned white poplars (Populus alba) that cover the bend of the hill enclosing the park and form a small wood, at the top, with numerous poplars (Populus nigra italica). As you walk up, you will see a large plantation of olive trees (Olea europaea) and paths that cross the small hill, decorated with an unusually green-shaded privet (Ligustrum lucidum) – no longer a shrub, having been carefully pruned, but now a little tree – and the scarlet of the purple-leaf cherry plums
(Prunus cerasifera ‘Atropurpurea’).

Moving on towards the sports area, you will find yourself by ombu trees (Phytolacca dioica) and acacias (Robinia pseudoacacia). The picnic area is shaded by the boughs of plane trees (Platanus x hispanica). Groups of Leyland cypresses (Cupressocyparis leylandii) mark the end of several parts of the park.

Halfway up the hill there is a lively sculpture, full of movement. This large frieze depicting 15 horses running wildly over grass is the Cavalls desbocats (Bolted Horses) of Josep Ros (1993).

Another work by Rafael Bartolozzi (1985), entitled Dona que es banya (Woman Bathing) and portraying a female figure delicately sculpted in Carrara marble, stands at one end of the large sheet of water tracing the park’s wide semi-circumference. Nearby, water jets out from the mouths of the various frogs surrounding the sculpture.

You need to walk round it to discover its various nooks and crannies and the many possibilities it offers. Over to the right is the most landscaped area, which can be admired in all its glory from the wide path at the highest point of the park, a kind of large balcony offering a pleasant resting place.
Looking to the left of the main entrance, you will see a multi-purpose amphitheatre that ends where the park’s canal begins, as well as steps that give access to the large resting area lying just before the sports courts and picnic area, two of the park’s big attractions. There are multi-sport courts next to one of Barcelona’s best picnic areas, because of its barbecues. A little further on from the sports area and you will see one of the city’s urban allotments. It covers 2,400 m2 and has a total of 61 plots of land cultivated by senior citizens from the neighbourhood.
The park also has tracks for model-car racing and competitions, run by the Sant Andreu Association of Model Car Enthusiasts.