Hivernacle de la Ciutadella opens free visits this August

Visits will begin on 6 August and will take place at 10:30. The tours will be in Catalan on Thursdays, Sundays and public holidays, while on Saturdays they will be offered in Spanish. Each session will last approximately 50 minutes.

Capacity will be limited, with groups of between 15 and 20 people. Advance booking will be compulsory and places will be subject to availability, so it is advisable to choose a date in advance.

During the tour, visitors will be told how the Hivernacle was created for the 1888 Universal Exhibition and what its original function was. The different stages experienced by the building will also be covered, from its years of cultural activity to periods of abandonment and its recent restoration.

The visit will also allow visitors to discover the plant species it currently houses and the relationship of the site to the project to transform the Ciutadella into a major space linked to knowledge, research and science communication.

The building was designed by Josep Amargós i Samaranch and stands out for its iron and glass structure, characteristic of late 19th-century industrial architecture. Its restoration, completed in 2023, made it possible to recover one of the park’s most delicate heritage elements.

Throughout its history, the Hivernacle has hosted exhibitions, gatherings, gastronomic activities and concerts. That variety of uses explains why many Barcelonans remember it in different ways and why its reopening has sparked such interest.

The setting offers a quiet plan for August mornings, away from the more usual routes through the centre. Among vegetation, iron and glass, the visit offers another way into the history of the Ciutadella and an understanding of how Barcelona wants to connect heritage and science.