Exposición Universal de Barcelona
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The 1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition (in Catalan: ''Exposició Universal de Barcelona'' and ''Exposición Universal de Barcelona'' in
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
) was Spain's first International
World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...
and ran from 8 April to 9 December 1888. It was also the first of the two held in
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
(the second one being in
1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...
).


Summary

Eugenio Serrano de Casanova (journalist, writer and entrepreneur) tried to launch an exposition in 1886, and when that failed, the Mayor of Barcelona, Francesc Rius i Taulet, took over the planning of the project. The fair was hosted on the reconstructed site of the city's main public park, the
Parc de la Ciutadella The (; "Citadel Park") is a park on the northeastern edge of Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. For decades following its creation in the mid-19th century, this park was the city's only green space. The grounds include the city zoo (o ...
, with Vilaseca's
Arc de Triomf The Arc de Triomf () is a triumphal arch in the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. It was built by architect Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas as the main access gate for the 1888 Barcelona World Fair. The arch crosses over the wide central promenad ...
forming the entrance. More than 2 million people from Spain, the rest of Europe, and other international points of embarkation visited the exhibition, which made the equivalent of 1,737,000
United States dollars The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
. The fair was opened by Alfonso XIII of Spain and Maria Christina of Austria. Twenty-seven countries participated, including China, Japan and the United States.


Contents

The piano manufacturer Erard sponsored a series of 20 concerts featuring
Isaac Albéniz Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual (; 29 May 1860 – 18 May 1909) was a Spanish virtuoso pianist, composer, and conductor. He is one of the foremost composers of the Post-Romantic era who also had a significant influence on his conte ...
, a Catalan pianist and composer best known for his piano works based on folk music idioms. The artistic director was
Tomàs Moragas Tomàs Moragas i Torras (1837, Girona – 20 October 1906, Barcelona) was a Spanish painter; known for his Orientalist and genre scenes. Biography Due to political turmoil, his family moved to Barcelona when he was still a baby. He showed som ...
.
Josep Maria Tamburini Josep Maria Tamburini i Dalmau (4 December 1856, Barcelona – 1932, Barcelona) was a Catalan art critic and painter, in the Symbolist style. Biography His father, Celestí Tamburini i Valls, was a silversmith. He studied at the Escola de la ...
won a silver medal at the exhibition.


Legacy and surviving monuments

The main legacy of the 1888 World Fair is the Ciutadella Park: the World Fair served as the opportunity for Barcelona to rid itself of the hated citadel and transform it into a central park for the city's denizens. The entire Ciutadella Park in its present layout is a product of the World Fair, with its monumental fountain and small ponds, its ''Castell dels tres dracs'' (
Castle of the Three Dragons The Castle of the Three Dragons ( ca, Castell dels Tres Dragons, es, Castillo de los Tres Dragones), is the popular name given to the modernisme building built between 1887–1888 as a Café-Restaurant for the 1888 Universal Exposition of Barcel ...
) built by
Domènech i Montaner Domènech () is a common Catalan surname. Its variants are Domènec, Domenech and Doménech. It can also be found sometimes as a given name. People As surname *Adrián Domenech, a retired Argentine football player and former coach of Argentinos ...
to house the World Fair's café / restaurant, which later served to house the Zoology Museum, ''Hivernacle'' (Glasshouse or Greenhouse), the classicist Geology Museum and the ''Umbracle'' (a remarkable shaded structure for plants). Another product of the World Fair is the '' Modernista'' or ''
Neo-Mudéjar Neo-Mudéjar is a type of Moorish Revival architecture practised in the Iberian Peninsula and to a far lesser extent in Ibero-America. This architectural movement emerged as a revival of Mudéjar style. It was an architectural trend of the late ...
''
Arc de Triomf The Arc de Triomf () is a triumphal arch in the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. It was built by architect Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas as the main access gate for the 1888 Barcelona World Fair. The arch crosses over the wide central promenad ...
(triumphal arch), the Fair's former gateway, presiding over Passeig de Lluís Companys. The Columbus Monument (''Monument a Colom''), a 60 m (197 ft) tall monument to
Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
, was built for the exposition on the site where Columbus returned to Europe after his first voyage to the Americas. It was erected at the lower end of '' Les Rambles'' and remains standing today.


See also

*
1929 Barcelona International Exposition The 1929 Barcelona International Exposition (also 1929 Barcelona Universal Exposition, or Expo 1929, officially in Spanish: ''Exposición Internacional de Barcelona 1929'' was the second World Fair to be held in Barcelona, the first one being i ...
*
1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
* 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures *
L'Esquella de la Torratxa ''L'Esquella de la Torratxa'' was an illustrated satirical weekly magazine, written in Catalan. Published in Barcelona between 1872 and 1939, it was well known for its pro-republican and anti-clerical stance and would become one of the most impo ...
*
Urban planning of Barcelona The urban planning of Barcelona developed in accordance with the historical and territorial changes of the city, and in line with other defining factors of public space, such as architecture, urban infrastructure and the adaptation and maintenanc ...


References


External links


Official website of the BIETHE WORLD’S FAIR 1888

Overview / brief history of the 1888 Barcelona Universal Expo
on the GenCat website (in English, Catalan, Occitan, Spanish and French). {{DEFAULTSORT:Exposicion Universal de Barcelona World's fairs in Barcelona History of Barcelona Culture in Barcelona Cultural infrastructure completed in 1888 Art Nouveau exhibitions Modernisme architecture in Barcelona 19th century in Barcelona Festivals established in 1888