Mirador de l'Alcalde (The Mayor's Viewing Point)

This garden, located on the mountain of Montjuïc very near the castle at the top, honours its name by the exceptional views of Barcelona it provides. This is possibly its most exceptional feature, along with the mosaic that paves the large part of the space, as well as being a peaceful, light and sun-drenched park. 

Taking advantage of the steep slope of the mountain on which the Mirador de l'Alcalde is located, the space is laid out over a series of flat terraces at different levels,

connected together by flights of stairs and parterres with gentle slopes, separated by a pavement that comprises part of the Artistic Heritage of Barcelona. 
The centre point is the pool in the middle of the park, with all the different elements of the park radiating outwards from here, such as paths, flowerbeds, vegetation and rest areas. The pool's ornamental fountain spills its waters onto small platforms that create a cascade that falls into a lower pool, which also has an ornamental fountain.  MAP IT

Four levels
If you take a walk starting at the bottom, the entrance there gives access to the first level of the park. From here you can gaze upon the city at your feet, with the sea in the background. Walking up, you will reach the second level that contains the pool that collects the water from the cascade that flows from the pool on the third level. On the fourth level, above it all, the Mirador de l'Alcalde finishes in a small square.

As the different levels of the park are connected by flights of stone stairs and some grassy parterres -most of them quite large- there are small paths that make the park totally accessible, making it possible to stroll through it without excessive effort either.

El Passeig dels Cims (The Promenade of the Peaks)
The Mirador de l'Alcalde is part of the Passeig dels Cims, an ongoing landscaping project of the highest altitudes of Montjuïc, from Miramar to the Carrer del Foc (Street of Fire).

This land use planning can be appreciated at the Mirador de l'Alcalde. Thus, the entrance on the first level is linked to the large terrace on the top part of the Gardens of Joan Brossa and to the side of the entrance that provides direct access to the third level of the Mirador de l'Alcalde is one of the cable car stations that takes you up to Montjuïc Castle. 


Vegetation
In addition to the large grassy parterres, there are two more things worth highlighting at the Mirador de l'Alcalde: The large pine grove -above all with Aleppo pines (Pinus halepensis)- on the right-hand side of the garden and the palms. There are numerous Mediterranean fan palms (Chamaerops humilis), some of them quite large, as well as Washington fan palms (Washinsgtonia robusta) and Canary Island date palms, Phoenix canariensis. Other noteworthy trees included in the landscaping are the enormous king sago palms (Cycas revoluta).

Art and architecture
Due to its great artistic value, the paving of the Mirador de l'Alcalde comprises part of the catalogue of Municipal Artistic Heritage. It is a 420 m2 mosaic designed by Joan Josep Tharrats. During its creation, a wide range of diverse and original materials were employed, such as round pebbles, paving stones, bricks, ceramic tiles laid edgewise, bottoms of bottles, pieces of concrete, different iron pieces (chains, cog wheels, filaments, screws and bolts, sheet metal... coming from dismantled machinery) and fragments of manhole covers from the urban subsoil services, among others.

History. In 1960, General Franco gave Montjuïc Castle to the city, with the condition of founding a military museum there, among other conditions. This action, in addition to requiring the adaptation of the fort for new uses, also entailed and stimulated the development and landscaping of the areas around the monument. Works, started in 1962, were executed in different stages until 1969. The artist who designed the Magic Fountains, Carles Buigas, also realized the fountain in the centre of the park.

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Previous : the Castell de Montjuïc (1) 
   
Source : Garden web site