Museu de Ciències Naturals de la Ciutadella (Geologia and Zoologia)

Description:

• These two museums, which can be viewed with the same ticket, reside inside the elegant Parc de la Ciutadella . The most crowd-pleasing is the Museu de Zoologia, which is housed in a whimsical building designed by the moderniste architect Lluis Domènech i Montaner. It was created (but not finished in time) as a cafe for the 1887-to-1888 World's Fair, which was largely centered around the park. Known at the time as the Castell de Tres Dragons (Castle of the Three Dragons), it is a daring example of medieval-inspired modernisme with fortress-like towers featuring ceramic heraldry, Mudéjar windows, and walls of exposed brick. Inside, although extremely altered, exhibits are displayed in Victorian-style wooden and glass cabinets. Specimens include Goliath frogs, giant crabs, and a section on Catalan flora. Located in a colonnaded neoclassical structure, the setting for the Geological Museum is slightly less inspiring. It was, however, the first building in the city to be constructed specifically for a museum, and it still holds the largest geology collection in the country. The left wing displays various granites, quartzes, and naturally radioactive rocks. The more interesting right wing contains fossils with some nostalgic Jules Verne-type illustrations made in the 1950s, which depict prehistoric life.

• © Frommer's 2012