Throughout the morning, the park hosted cultural and family-friendly activities open to all members of the public
Park Güell has a range of initiatives planned for the year to encourage local organisations, schools, and residents to engage with this heritage site
Managed by Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (BSM), Park Güell is promoting investment in the maintenance and protection of its architectural heritage, as well as in the surrounding neighbourhoods
On Saturday, Park Güell celebrated the 40th anniversary of its declaration as a UNESCO World Heritage site with an event open to the public. Throughout the morning, the park hosted family-friendly and cultural activities for visitors to explore Gaudí’s architectural work and its natural spaces.
From 10 am, the general public, along with residents from the nearby neighbourhoods, took part in workshops held at the Bugadera esplanade and the Austria Gardens. The central event of the day was a human tower performance by the Castellers de la Vila de Gràcia and the Castellers de la Sagrada Família, who raised their structures in the Plaça de la Natura. The day concluded in the garden of the Gaudí House Museum with a reading of the Iliad set to music, featuring poet Enric Casasses and musician Oriol Luna.
For 40th anniversary of its UNESCO World Heritage designation, Park Güell is celebrating its recognition as a site of significant cultural and natural value that must be protected and preserved, while continuing to develop activities that connect Gaudí’s work and the space itself with the public, as well as with local organisations and residents.
In this regard, throughout the year, Park Güell is offering a programme of activities and initiatives that encourage local organisations, schools, and residents to engage with the space. Examples include the Escola de Gràcia programme, back for another year after a 2023-2024 edition in which 800 students from 12 district schools had the opportunity to explore Park Güell; the cultural activities organised in collaboration with the Barcelona History Museum, including school visits, cultural tours, and the summer programme; and the Sports Festival, which on 10 October brought together over 300 neighbourhood athletes in the Sala Hipòstila.
Another initiative is STEAM Park Güell, a day of recreational activities designed to spark interest in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics careers among primary school students. The event is organised by Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (BSM) and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia - BarcelonaTech’s (UPC) Barcelona East School of Engineering (EEBE). The first edition took place last year, with over 600 students in their 5th and 6th years of primary school participating, and another 500 are expected for the upcoming event on 27 November.
Protection and preservation of heritage
Since 2013, BSM, on behalf of the Ajuntament de Barcelona, has been in charge of access to Park Güell, seeking to preserve and ensure proper maintenance of the space, as well as harmony with local neighbourhood and school activities. In these over 10 years of management, BSM has led projects focused on the maintenance and protection of the architectural heritage, as well as the restoration, cleaning, and safeguarding of the natural environment.
Recent examples include the maintenance and improvement work carried out on the Plaça de la Natura, the Sarva and Sant Salvador fountains, the biodiversity trail, and the waterproofing of the Sala Hipòstila.
“Park Güell is a unique and iconic Barcelona space. Its status as a World Heritage site not only highlights its great architectural value and Gaudí’s artistic contribution, but also the need to protect and preserve it for future generations”, said the director of Park Güell, Ricard Barrera.
BSM also works to ensure that the tourism at Park Güell has a positive impact both on the city and the surrounding neighbourhoods, through investments made in recent years, such as the renovation of the Baixada de la Glòria escalators, the Menéndez Pelayo Gardens, the improvement of the bus stop on Carretera del Carmel, and the upgrading of sports facilities in the nearby neighbourhoods, among other projects.
