The 1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition (in Catalan: ''Exposició Universal de Barcelona'' and ''Exposición Universal de Barcelona'' in Spanish) was Spain's first International

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

and ran from 8 April to 9 December 1888. The second one in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of 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 c ...

was held in 1929.

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, with Vilaseca's Arc de Triomf 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

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...

. The fair was opened by Alfonso XIII of Spain and

Maria Christina of Austria Maria Christina Henriette Desideria Felicitas Raineria of Austria (; 21 July 1858 – 6 February 1929) was Queen of Spain as the second wife of Alfonso XII. She was queen regent during the vacancy of the throne between her husband's death in No ...

. Twenty-seven countries participated, including China, Japan and the United States.

The piano manufacturer Erard sponsored a series of 20 concerts featuring Isaac Albéniz, a Catalan pianist and composer best known for his piano works based on folk music idioms. The artistic director was Tomàs Moragas. Luisa Lacal de Bracho won a gold medal and Josep Maria Tamburini 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) built by Domènech i Montaner 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'' Arc de Triomf (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 (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

, 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.

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 1888 in Spain Buildings and structures completed in 1888 Festivals established in 1888 19th century in Barcelona World's fairs in Barcelona History of Barcelona Culture in Barcelona Art Nouveau exhibitions Modernisme architecture in Barcelona

Summary

Contents

Legacy and surviving monuments

See also

References

External links