Built as the grand entrance to the 1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition, the Arc de Triomf stands at the head of the Passeig de Lluis Companys, a broad promenade leading towards the Parc de la Ciutadella where the fair was held. It was designed by the architect Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas. Rather than commemorating a military victory in the manner of older triumphal arches, it was conceived as a welcoming gateway, and its decoration reflects that civic purpose. The arch is built of exposed red brick in a Mudejar-influenced style, ornamented with stone sculpture and ceramic detail. The main frieze on the front, facing the city, is a stone relief showing Barcelona receiving the nations taking part in the exposition. Other sculptural panels and reliefs around the structure represent themes such as industry, agriculture, trade and the arts. Along the top run the coats of arms of the Spanish provinces, with the arms of Barcelona given pride of place, while winged figures representing fame crown the corners. The warm brick and bright tilework give the monument a distinctive colour against the surrounding plane trees. The promenade in front has long been a gathering place, used for markets, demonstrations and the finish of running events, and the wide central walkway is busy with pedestrians, cyclists and street performers. Standing on the edge of the Eixample district, the arch links the regular grid of the 19th-century city with the green expanse of the Ciutadella park, once the site of a military citadel and now a central park. Over more than a century it has become one of the city's familiar landmarks, photographed from the tree-lined avenue that frames it and floodlit at night. Unlike many monuments of its kind, it was never closed off as a memorial, and the open ground around it remains an everyday public space at the threshold between two parts of the city.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Passeig de Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain

Opening Date: 01/01/1888