Monjuïc is a mountain located in Barcelona, just over 170 meters high. It is famous for its sights and its beautiful panorama of ancient Barcelona and the unusually blue Mediterranean Sea.
History of Mount Montjuïc
There are two versions of the origin of the name of Mount Montjuïc in Barcelona:
- From the Latin, the word can mean “Jupiter’s Mountain.
- From the old Catalan language it means “Jewish mountain.
Many historical events of Catalonia are associated with this mountain, including. and tragedies. Here in the 1930s, during the Spanish dictatorship led by Caudillo Franco, several Catalan politicians were shot, including. and the Catalan president.
Of significant events we can also note that it was on Mount Montjuïc that most of the sports competitions in the XXV Olympic Games in the early 1990s were held. This is where the real battles for Olympic gold were fought.
How do I get to Mount Montjuïc?
Those who know Barcelona and its historic center well, and who are young and athletic, can easily reach the mountain and climb it on their own. The rest of us have two ways to get to the top of Mount Montjuïc.
On the subway. Get off at Parallel, (L2 and L3) station, easy to find on the Barcelona metro map. Then you have to walk past the Port of Barcelona and reach the top of Mount Montjuïc through a local park, or from the side of Plaça Espanya go to the Magic Fountains.
Metro map of Barcelona
On ground transportation. You can take bus routes NoNo. 55 and 150, take the cable car, a cab, or a rented car. The most interesting way for a tourist to get to Montjuïc is to take a ride on the cable car. It is technically connected to the subway lines.
The cable car in Barcelona. This is a great way to get to Mount Montjuïc in Barcelona, it is used by tourists and Barcelonans alike. The cable car has 3 stations: Mount Montjuïc: the Old Port and the city beach. It has been in operation since the 1930s and has been thoroughly renovated.
The length of the ropeway is almost 1,300 meters. The way to the top of Montjuïc from Miramar station is no more than 20 minutes. About 2,000 passengers climb the mountain this way every day. Tickets cost €11 – one way, €16.5 – round trip.
The ropeway’s website is: www.telefericodebarcelona.com.
Montjuïc attractions
Mount Montjuïc in Barcelona is one of the most popular vacation spots among Catalans. It is located close to the historic center of the city, itself has a lot of interesting places, so many visitors come here all year round.
Museum of Art
This museum was opened at Mount Montjuïc in Barcelona in the very early 1990s, it is housed in an ancient building at the foot of the mountain and combines classical and contemporary Catalan art in its collections. Very popular with tourists.
Here you can see a variety of frescoes from the Romanesque period of Catalonia, sculptures in wood and marble, ancient Catalan paintings from the Middle Ages to the New Age, the quest of modern artists and architects who love art in itself.
Magic Fountain
This attraction is located at the foot of Mount Montjuïc. During the day you can see one of the beautiful fountains of Barcelona, and at night it turns into magic, which fascinates the inhabitants of Barcelona and visitors to the city.
The fact is that in the evening near the Magic Fountain, multi-colored lights turn on, classical and contemporary music plays. Thanks to well-designed special effects, magnificent magical images are born and die near the fountain.
Spanish Village
There is a collection of copies of famous Spanish buildings and buildings that are architectural monuments. Some of them are built life-size, most are reduced several times while preserving all the details of the building.
The original buildings are located in different parts of Spain and showcase the famous architectural styles popular in different eras of the country. The Spanish Village was built on Mount Montjuïc in the late 1920s.
The Spanish Village is home to over a hundred houses, buildings, temples, craft workshops, shops, and entire streets. In one place you can see the architecture of all of Spain, as. architectural specimens are collected from all regions of the country.
Olympic Ring
Many of the sports facilities located on Mount Montjuïc were built specifically for the Olympic Games next to the local TV tower. Even today they host various sports competitions, but of a lower rank.
Here you can see the Palace of Sports, which the Barcelonans nicknamed the Coliseum, as well as the stadium, where competitions in athletics are held, two swimming pools for water sports, the Olympic Museum, etc.
Inside the stadium today, tourists and visitors to the capital of Catalonia can for a fee play soccer and other sports games, run on the running track, feeling like a real Olympian, etc.
Joan Miró Museum
He is one of the famous surrealist artists, of whom the Spanish and Catalan lands are so rich. Miro also did sculpture and graphics. Fans of his work can visit exhibitions at the Museum on Mount Montjuïc in Barcelona.
Here are the works of the author, as well as his associates and followers: canvases, drawings, sculptures, etc. The museum building was built in the Cubist style, and it often hosts exhibitions of other contemporary art authors.
Montjuïc Fortress
This castle is located on top of Mount Montjuïc in Barcelona. It was built on the site of a watchtower in the mid-17th century, and a century later was completely rebuilt, with its fortification functions lost.
The fortress of Montjuïc was the site of two important battles for Catalonia. Thus, in the middle of the 17th century, another battle over Manjuic with Spanish troops was fatal for Catalan statehood, and Barcelona conceded defeat.
The castle of Montjuïc was then used as a prison, and Catalan politicians were shot near it during the pro-fascist Franco dictatorship. In the 1960s, the Military Museum was organized in the fortress of Montjuïc. From here you can see the panorama of Barcelona.
City of the Dead
The cemetery on Mount Montjuïc in Barcelona is open daily, and a visit to it will be a real discovery for many. The Catalans and their great thinkers have a philosophical, Christian attitude toward death, considering it not an end, but a continuation of eternal life.
Here you can see real works of architecture and sculpture: mausoleums and tombs in neoclassical and baroque style. You can imagine Barcelona a few centuries ago, remembering the lives of celebrities buried here.
Botanical Garden
This garden was laid out at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. It is located between Montjuïc Castle and the Olympic Stadium. The entrance ticket costs €3.5. The garden was organized for the purpose of researching the plant life of different climatic zones of our planet.
Flora from Africa, America and Australia grows here, but the most attention in the garden is paid to Mediterranean plants, the peculiarities of their cultivation, protection and preservation. A separate interesting corner of the garden is devoted to the flora of the Canary Islands.
Montjuïc Gardens
This garden is located on Mount Montjuïc on a slope facing the Mediterranean Sea, you can come here for free and enjoy a wonderful local collection of exotic flora, which is unparalleled in Barcelona.
Here you can see many species of palm trees from the subequatorial latitudes, most of them do not grow in Spain, hundreds of species of cacti, etc. The garden has existed since the 1970s, it was reconstructed, but today Monjuïc Park is open to visitors again.
A video tour of Montjuïc
Mount Montjuïc on a map of Barcelona
