World’s FairsFound, not built?
FairsBarcelona 1888
Barcelona Universal Exposition
Barcelona Universal Exposition: Revista pasada por S.M. la Reina Regente Doña María Cristina a las escuadras nacionales y extranjeras, reunidas en el puerto de Barcelona con motivo de celebrarse la Exposición Universal en mayo de 1888
Barcelona Universal Exposition: Expo Barcelona 1888
Barcelona Universal Exposition: Exposicion barcelona1888

Photo: 1997 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

1888 · Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona Universal Exposition

On the globe
See full fair gallery (50)
Investigate this fair · 5 cluesBarcelona's fair rose on cleared citadel ground with permanent brick buildings and a hotel claimed in 53 days, which points to reuse of what was already on the site.Open the case file →
Dates
8 Apr – 9 Dec 1888
Site
Parc de la Ciutadella
Declared purpose
Spain's first international exhibition, laid out on the grounds of a demolished citadel.
Fate
The Arc de Triomf and the Castle of the Three Dragons survive. The Palace of Industry and the Grand Hotel were demolished.
Architect of record
Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas, architect: about 39 when credited (1887, born 1848). Build time on record: about 1 year (1887–88).; Lluís Domènech i Montaner, architect: about 37 when credited (1887, born 1850). Build time on record: hotel: about two months (often given as 53 days).All architects of record →

Hidden history

Found, Not Built

A fair built on the site of a citadel that the city had only recently pulled down. What the photos show is a brick triumphal arch and a castle that look far older than 1888.

  1. A hotel in weeks

    The record says a five-storey hotel for 2,000 guests went up in about two months, then came down. Researchers ask what the crews and materials really were.

  2. A citadel replaced

    The old Ciutadella fortress was demolished to make the park. The question: what was standing there, and what reused it?

  3. Survivors in brick

    The arch and the castle survived where the iron halls did not.

Questions worth asking

  • How does a 2,000-guest hotel go up in about 53 days?
  • What was built on the citadel's old foundations?
  • Why keep the arch and the castle and nothing else?

Possible original uses

  • A ceremonial gate to the old city
  • A guardhouse or armoury
  • A public hall or exchange

What the photos show

Clues in the photos

Masonry, not plasterBrick and stone on the Arc de TriomfWhy build the fair's gate in permanent brick if the fair was temporary?Impossible timelineA 2,000-guest hotel in about 53 daysHow was a hotel that size built in 53 days?Masonry, not plasterCastle of the Three Dragons in brickWhy build a fair restaurant in permanent brick like a fortress?Other detailsBuilt on a demolished citadelWhat was found when the citadel ground was cleared, and did any of it go into the fair?Repeated motifOrnate lamps under the brick archThe same ornate lamp standards line Pont Alexandre III in Paris. Is this a shared pattern book, or a shared older style?

The buildings

Tap a building for its photos and credits.

  • No open-licence photo foundDemolishedPalace of IndustryThe main exhibition hallTaken down after the fair.
    Lost building page ›
  • Lost building page ›

Further viewing

Episodes from My Lunch Break (Michael Kruse), the main lens for this app. They open on YouTube.