Curiously for a construction with almost a century and a half of history, the Umbracle of the Ciutadella remains the favorite secret of a few, a kind of “private refuge,” says the writer, columnist and translator Jordi Puntí, inside a park full of tourists. “They only open in the mornings and there is almost never anyone there. I walk around a couple of times, sit on one of their benches and relax. Sometimes leo for a while,” he explains without fear, although he risks losing the tranquility of those moments, that the secret ends up being shared excessively.
This modernist greenhouse It was built in 1884, designed by Josep Fontserè, and in 1888 it was converted into a pavilion for the Universal Exhibition. Shortly after, it returned to its essential function: providing shelter to a multitude of tropical and subtropical plant species. Puntí is especially fascinated by them, he confesses, “banana leaves, huge like elephant ears, or those of the monstera delicious or Adam’s rib, with its Gaudí arabesque shapes.” But the best thing is, he believes, “the wild mixture of all of them.”
The author of ‘sad animals‘, collection of stories adapted to film by Ventura Ponsrecommends visiting the place after a storm: “The green becomes more intense, the palm leaves collect the water like funnels and the dripping becomes musical.” Of course, he believes that at night it would be even better. “I would love to sleep among plants, see the moonlight filtering through the slats while listening to songs from Gilberto Gilof Jorge Ben“. Sweet tropical dreams.
Inspiration for articles
The history of this fascination dates back to its student days, when, as he thinks he remembers, “they allowed you to walk among the plants and trees, or at least I did.” Puntí has lived for 12 years 50 meters from the place and you only have to cross the street to immerse yourself in what you almost consider his garden.
Over the years, this idyllic space ended up sneaking into a couple of his articles. One of them, titled simply ‘The Umbracle’turned 20 this August and includes this fascinating and succinct definition: “The Umbracle It is, above all, an attempt to tame the jungleto collect the splendor of the tropical flora in a small space: as if the bourgeoisie of the time had asked a pocket jungle to be able to walk around without danger.”
Related news
The Ciutadella appears multiple times in ‘Perdudes suitcases’, his most awarded book, although not Umbracle specifically. But Puntí is convinced: “In some story it will end up coming out“Maybe he even writes it right there, in that cabin between trees in the middle of the jungle.