The Park of the Labyrinth of Horta/ Parc del Laberint d'Horta is an open space for both the locals and tourists to relax. It is located in the Horta-Guinardó district, on the slope of the Collserola mountain range. The park consists of many parts that are located on terraces, the main part is the labyrinth. It is surrounded by thick Mediterranean forest, and why going through it you are under a fairytale-like impression. The space is beautifully decorated with rare planks, and depicts a fine example of the gardening art. At the exit of the labyrinth, there are stairs done in the style of Italian Renaissance.
The Horta Labyrinth has the oldest preserved garden in the city. It used to follow the Neo Classical style, with some Italian touches, but later on it adopted the Romanticist style. The park occupies land that used to belong to marquis Joan Antoni Desvalls i d'Ardena, a very dedicated man who handed the project to Domenico Bagutti, an Italian, who worked on it until 1808. The French gardener Delvalet was in charge of plantations, while the Catalan master builder Jaume Valls was the supervisor. The Desvalls family owned the property until 1970, when the City Council took over. In 1971, the park was opened to public. The park was completely renovated in 1994, when it adopted the concept of a garden museum.
The park abounds with a wide specter of elements: symmetry, topiary and precise decoration, small temples with Tuscan columns, mythology-based fountains and sculptures, and a Neo Classical pavilion honoring muses on one side. On the other. the murmur of water in the waterfall, a stream that runs over the rock riverbed, moss and forest plants, a wildlife garden covered in ivy and African lilies, the irregular arrangement of trees such European yews, pines, plane-trees, and big lime-trees, even an imitation of a cemetery. And finally, landscaped greenery, nature both tamed and free – all these elements mark different phases in the development of the park that initially followed the Neo Classical style in 1791, but it soon adopted the Romanticist style in 1853.
You can visit the Labyrinth Park
from November to March from 10:00 to 19:00
from April to October from 10:00 to 20:00.
Ticket price for visitors is € 2.23
for children under 14 years of age € 1.42
for children under 5 the entrance is free.
On Wednesdays and Sundays, the entrance is free for all visitors.
Author of the article:
Ana Lazarević - our correspondent for the city of Barcelona
Contact: [email protected]
Photo by Alina Stiba on Unsplash
