Up and Away to Montjuïc: Barcelona’s Birthplace

The wonderful city of Barcelona is one of my favourite places in the whole world. I may be biased as my partner is from this incredible place. However, I have come to really appreciate the never-ending cultural experience that can be found here. This is a neighbourhood guide to Montjuïc, an area in Barcelona, Spain. If you want to read about other neighbourhoods in Barcelona, check out my other posts here.

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The hill of Montjuïc is far more than just a scenic vantage point overlooking Barcelona’s harbour. Located southwest of the city centre, Montjuïc is widely considered the birthplace of Barcelona. It was likely chosen for early settlement due to its strategic position. Over the centuries, it has been home to numerous fortifications. In the 18th century, the current Castle of Montjuïc was built atop the remains of a previous fortress. The castle still stands today, a sentinel above the city.

Modern Montjuïc as we know it was significantly shaped by two major events: the 1929 International Exposition and the 1992 Summer Olympics. The 1929 World’s Fair was a grand showcase of global achievements under the theme “Arts, Industry and Sport”. As with today’s Olympics, the event spurred a wave of cultural and architectural development across the city.

Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC)

At the heart of Montjuïc stands the Palau Nacional, a grandiose, neo-Baroque building originally constructed for the 1929 International Exposition. Since 1934, it has been home to the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), Catalonia’s premier art institution and one of the most comprehensive art museums in Spain.

Perhaps the museum’s most celebrated feature is its Romanesque Art Collection, considered one of the most important in the world. It includes striking mural paintings from 11th- and 12th-century churches in the Pyrenees, painstakingly transferred to the museum in the early 20th century to preserve them from decay or theft.

Entire apse frescoes, like those from Sant Climent de Taüll, are reassembled in immersive gallery spaces, offering visitors a rare opportunity to experience the sacred art of rural Catalonia in its original scale and form. These murals showcase a vivid, symbolic style that blends spirituality with bold visual storytelling, rooted in early Christian and Byzantine influences.

The Gothic collection spans the 13th to 15th centuries and features altarpieces, panel paintings, and wooden sculptures that reflect the growing influence of European courts and religious institutions. Catalonia’s vibrant trade and political connections during this period brought in styles from Italy, Flanders, and France, resulting in a unique fusion. The Renaissance and Baroque galleries further reflect this cultural exchange, showcasing works by Spanish and European masters, including El Greco, Zurbarán, Ribera, and Velázquez. These pieces trace the shift toward humanism, realism, and emotion in religious and mythological art.

The MNAC also houses a compelling Modern Art collection that highlights Catalonia’s contributions to 19th- and early 20th-century artistic movements. You’ll find works from Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, and Noucentisme, a movement that sought to renew classical values in response to modernity.

Directly in front of MNAC lies the Font Màgica de Montjuïc, also built for the exposition. This dynamic water and light show has since become a beloved spectacle, attracting both tourists and locals. There’s something undeniably enchanting about it.

The Barcelona Pavilion

Tucked away in the Montjuïc parklands, the Barcelona Pavilion is one of the most influential works of modern architecture, a minimalist icon that changed the course of 20th-century design.

Originally designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich for the 1929 International Exposition, the pavilion was Germany’s official national exhibit. But rather than filling it with displays or national achievements, the structure itself was the exhibit, a radical departure from traditional pavilion design.

The Barcelona Pavilion is a masterclass in simplicity, proportion, and material beauty. Built using glass, steel, and polished stone (including travertine, marble, and onyx), the space is characterised by open, flowing planes that blur the lines between inside and outside. There’s a sense of serenity and stillness in the structure, enhanced by the reflecting pools and a single sculpture, Alba by Georg Kolbe.

Though strikingly modern, the pavilion was built to be temporary and was dismantled in 1930, just a year after it opened. However, its impact endured. Due to its architectural significance, a full reconstruction was undertaken in the 1980s, led by Spanish architects Ignasi de Solà-Morales, Cristian Cirici, and Fernando Ramos. The project used the original plans and photographs to recreate it faithfully in the exact location.

Today, the reconstructed Pavilion stands as a shrine to modernist design. Even if you’re not an architecture enthusiast, it’s worth visiting to experience its calming atmosphere and the way it so thoughtfully plays with space, light, and material.

Olympic Games Venues

Decades later, Montjuïc took centre stage again as one of the primary sites for the 1992 Summer Olympic Games. This event brought major infrastructure investment to Barcelona, transforming it into one of Europe’s top travel destinations.

At the heart of the Olympic developments is the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, host of the opening and closing ceremonies and athletic events. The surrounding Anella Olímpica (Olympic Ring) includes:

• Telecommunications Tower designed by Santiago Calatrava
• Palau Sant Jordi (indoor arena)
• Institut Nacional d’Educació Física de Catalunya (wrestling)
• Piscines Bernat Picornell and Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc (swimming & diving)

Joan Miró Foundation

Another must-visit cultural gem on Montjuïc is the Fundació Joan Miró, a museum dedicated to the life and legacy of Joan Miró, one of Catalonia’s most beloved and internationally acclaimed artists.

Opened in 1975, the museum was created with Miró’s direct involvement. Unlike many museums founded posthumously, this was conceived by the artist himself as a living centre for creativity. It was built not only to display his work but also to nurture experimental, contemporary art, especially among young and emerging artists.

The museum building is a work of art in itself, designed by Josep Lluís Sert, a friend of Miró and a renowned architect in his own right. Sert created an airy, whitewashed structure that feels Mediterranean and modern all at once. The layout encourages wandering. Natural light pours in through skylights and courtyards, providing an ideal backdrop for Miró’s colourful, playful works.

The permanent collection traces Miró’s entire artistic journey, from his early landscapes and Fauvist influences to his later, more abstract and symbolic works. His signature visual language involves bold primary colours, biomorphic shapes, stars, eyes, moons, birds, and ladders. It evokes a dreamlike, almost childlike world that draws on both Surrealism and Catalan folklore.

In addition to paintings, the museum houses an extensive array of sculptures, textiles, ceramics, and drawings. The museum is an inspiring and thought-provoking stop, beautifully integrated into the natural and cultural fabric of Montjuïc.

Botanical Garden of Barcelona

Montjuïc is also home to the Jardí Botànic, showcasing Mediterranean flora from across the globe. The garden is divided into regions with climates similar to Barcelona’s: California, Chile, South Africa, Australia, the Canary Islands, and the Mediterranean basin.

Mossen Costs i Llobera Gardens

One of Montjuïc’s hidden gems is the Mossèn Costa i Llobera Gardens, a desert-like oasis filled with over 800 species of cacti and succulents. Located on the south side of the hill, the garden benefits from a microclimate that makes it 2°C warmer than the rest of the city. This surprising warmth allows desert plants to thrive here.

Named after Miquel Costa i Llobera, a Catalan poet from Mallorca, the garden embodies the spirit of resilience and natural beauty found in his poetry:

My heart loves a tree! Older than the olive

More powerful than the oak, greener than the orange tree,

It keeps in its leaves spring eternally

And fights against the gusts that beat the coast,

And tire the trodden earth. Flowers of love do not peek between its leaves;

Its shadows do not go to the fountain to kiss;

But God anointed its sacred head with a scent

And as ground He gave it the rough mountains,

And as a fountain, the immense sea.

[…]

Onwards, be strong! Get through the mists

And lay roots in the heights, like the cliff-top tree.

You will see the sea of the ireful world fall at your feet,

And your gentle songs will carry on the wind

Like birds in a storm.

Other Gardens

There are so many other gardens to discover, and I’ve loved exploring each and every one of them.

Terraced along the hillside, the Jardins del Mirador de Alcalde are situated in a lovely spot, allowing you to access a fantastic view of the city. There is also a lovely fountain with layered mini-waterfalls.

The Mossèn Cinto Verdaguer Gardens are so lovely and peaceful. The best feature is the water lily ponds. I had never seen so many water lilies in one place, and it’s remarkably special to see and experience.

The Jardines de Laribal are situated lower down the mountain and have a sort of Southern Spain/Alhambra feel to them. The gardens are much lusher, and the plants have taken over many of the structures. These gardens are most known for the Font del Gat (the Fountain of the Cat). Built in 1918 by Joan Antoni Homs, the fountain was featured in the popular song “La Marieta de l’ull viu” by Joan Amich. It has become a cultural icon — see if you can spot the cat’s face!

There are, of course, plenty of other gardens to explore too, like the Greek Theatre Gardens, Jardín Botánico Histórico and Joan Maragall Gardens. These gardens are only open on the weekends, so keep that in mind if you’d like to visit.

Visiting

Montjuic is serviced by one form of public transportation: the cable car! I’ve never been up on it myself because I haven’t been lucky enough to get a beautiful, clear day while in Montjuïc, but good weather is key!

As you can see, there is so much to discover on Montjuïc. It’s easy to just hit the well-known highlights, like the MNAC or the Castle, but there’s so much more to see and enjoy. Once you’re done exploring the mountain, you can head down by foot or cable car to another neighbourhood, like Poble-Sec or Barceloneta, for dinner. It certainly makes for a wonderful day.

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Montjuïc is a wonderful place to explore – which parts are you most looking forward to visiting?