The Barcelona Zoological Park is a zoo located in the Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Its location was chosen because the park’s buildings were available after the Barcelona Universal Exposition of 1888. It was inaugurated on the day of La Mercè, named after the patron saint of Barcelona, in 1892 and the first animals came from the private collection that Lluís Martí i Codolar kept at his farm called “La Granja Vieja” in Horta. He donated the animals to the Barcelona City Council, which approved their placement on the grounds of the Ciudadela Park.
The zoo claims to have three objectives: conservation, research and education. However, it has received numerous criticisms for the state of its facilities as well as the insufficient size of the spaces for many of the animals.
The Barcelona Zoo has one of the most important animal collections in Europe. For years – specifically from 1966 to 2003 – the star of the zoo was the famous Snowflake, the only known albino gorilla.
In 2008, a reform project was presented that included a marine platform. However, due to the economic crisis, the project has been put on hold indefinitely.
In October 2015, within the framework of a new municipal policy against animal shows, acrobatic exhibitions of trained cetaceans in the dolphinarium were banned, although the space is still open to the public as an observation area for the animals.
Address: Parc de la Ciutadella, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
Tuesday 10 AM–6 PM
Wednesday 10 AM–6 PM
Thursday 10 AM–7 PM
Friday 10 AM–6 PM
Saturday 10 AM–7 PM
Sunday 10 AM–7 PM
Monday 10 AM–6 PM
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