The ambitious metamorphosis of Ciutadella: 500 million and a triple alliance in five years

BarcelonaCranes and excavators are already working on Barcelona's future major scientific district. The Ciutadella del Coneixement is taking shape to be operational in 2031. This is the forecast of the administrations for this scientific, urban, and cultural project, which aims to turn the Parc de la Ciutadella and its surroundings into one of the main research and innovation hubs in Spain and Southern Europe. Practically everything will be up and running within five years. In fact, the rollout of this plan, considered strategic for the country, will be progressive, as the eight architectural interventions are completed. For example, the Old Fish Market, the Center for Biosciences of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the Castle of the Three Dragons, or the State Public Library.

The macro-project can be broken down into three areas: the scientific hub, the heritage axis, and the social hub. Now the State, the Generalitat, and the Barcelona City Council have allied with universities and research centers to "streamline and coordinate" the creation of the Ciutadella del Coneixement. In fact, this Friday, in the Saló de Cent of the Barcelona City Council, the constitutive act of the institutional commission was held, which involves an investment of 500 million euros assumed in almost equal parts by the three administrations.

Mayor Jaume Collboni, who is the president of the new governance body, highlighted that, with the Ciutadella del Coneixement, Barcelona and Catalonia are regaining "the splendor" of the 1888 Universal Exhibition. In turn, the Minister of Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat, assured that all parties involved share the same conviction: "Investing in knowledge is one of the most intelligent ways to build a future".

Four new spaces to promote researchThe scientific hub

Four new spaces to drive research

The seed of the macro-project is to turn Ciutadella into something more than a historic park and a "green lung" for the dense Catalan capital. Next to the UPF, on land ceded by the council, the cornerstone is already being erected: the Antic Mercat del Peix. With a budget of 172 million euros, a new 45,000 m² research and innovation complex is being built. The idea was conceived twenty years ago and it has been a decade without progress due to disagreements in financing and archaeological findings, but this April it has been unblocked.

Five renovated areas and the second largest public library in the StateIn parallel, in two weeks, work will begin on the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE), a center of the UPF and the CSIC to understand how and why species change over time (18.3 million euros), and the Barcelona Agora for the Well-being of Society (BASW) of the UPF, a laboratory for the analysis of public policies (21.3 million). The tender for these two projects is joint and construction will begin simultaneously.

The fourth scientific space will be the CSIC Biosciences Center, state-owned, which will be located next to the UPF – on the site of the old State Mobile Park – and will concentrate 300 researchers and 40 research groups. In this case, it will have an investment of 63 million euros and construction is expected to begin in 2027, so it will not be operational before 2030.

The heritage and cultural axis

Five renovated areas and the second largest public library in the State

The second key hub of the Citadel of Knowledge focuses on the recovery of historic buildings degraded by the passage of time so that they can be used by the public again. This is the most advanced area and the one that has been entirely financed with municipal budgets. The Hivernacle, the modernist building abandoned for 16 years, has already been restored with 2.5 million euros and, in fact, reopened its doors in December 2023 as a space for natural science activities and exhibitions.

The Castle of the Three Dragons has also been recovered. With an investment of 45 million euros, it is expected to be completed in March 2027. The Martorell Exhibition Centre, the oldest public museum built in Barcelona and now reintegrated into the circuit of the Natural Sciences Museum, already has its comprehensive renovation practically finished and will continue to host exhibitions. It has a budget of 8 million euros and is estimated to be completed in 2027. As for the Umbracle, the idea is that the last phase of rehabilitation will be achieved between May and October 2027 with a budget of 1.7 million euros.

Within this block, the construction of the State Public Library in Barcelona is also planned on municipal land at Estació de França. It will have more than 16,000 m² distributed over eight floors and construction began last October. The idea is for it to be the second largest library in the State. In fact, it is one of the most significant projects of the Ministry of Culture in recent decades, with a budget of 82 million euros. Currently, the transfer of management to the Generalitat is being negotiated, but it will not be completed until December 2030. 

The transformation of the Zoo

The plan that will surely extend beyond 2030

In addition to the Library, the other major project that will extend beyond 2030 is the transformation of the current Barcelona Zoo, which aims to become a new space for biodiversity preservation. This project has a budget of 60 million euros, and the first step is to rebuild the access that will connect Wellington street with Picasso promenade, allowing the connection of the Vila Olímpica neighborhood with Ciutat Vella. The works recently began. The next step is the creation of the Bioscope, a center dedicated to explaining the origin and evolution of biodiversity and ecosystems. The facility aims to offer "an interactive journey to the origin and evolution of species" with technology and immersive experiences.