Parc de Torreblanca

previous state

The history of Torreblanca takes us back to the changes experienced by one of the most important agricultural holdings in this part of the Baix Llobregat. At the end of the 19th century, the Marquis of Monistrol embarked on a radical transformation of his home on the farm and his private gardens with the construction of a large neo-Gothic-style palace and its surrounding romantic gardens. The Civil War seriously affected Torreblanca, and the Marquis and Marchioness began to reorganise the estate with the aim of making it economically viable: a poultry and egg farm was built and the sale of roses was boosted (it had already begun at the end of the last century). Nevertheless, the damage suffered by the palace was irreversible and the Marquis and Marchioness decided to demolish it in 1958. The remains of the old Torreblanca were found underneath: a rectangular space set within great walls, with a round tower at each corner. After a number of attempts at

development --the last of these via the Torreblanca Partial Plan, which was approved despite the fact that the estate was not included in its boundaries-- the metropolitan corporation decided to purchase the estate and in November 1982 it became public land.

aim of the intervention

The land in the bottom valley of the River Llobregat and, more specifically, to the left of its course, has been affected, since the middle of the 20th century, by industrial occupation, railways, roads and urban expansion. The area of the park was one of the few open spaces in the Baix Llobregat and this is why the restoration of the once-private estate was undertaken, in order to make it into a green space for collective use.

description

The park is located within the Sant Joan Despí and Sant Just Desvern municipal area and adjoins Sant Feliu de Llobregat. It is bounded in the north by the old main road (N-340), which marks the entrance to the town from Sant Feliu. It is enclosed by the Carrer de Torreblanca in the south-east -the entrance to Sant Just- by the Avinguda de la Generalitat in the west -the entrance from Sant Joan Despí- and the Renfe railway line.

The late-nineteenth-century romantic gardens form the centre of the park. Their design is based on the idea of imitating the shapes and elements of nature with grottoes, islands, caves, lakes and waterfalls which are set amongst plants which grow freely and make this space into the most important area in the park.

The modern park has been set out around the old gardens, following the outline of the former fields on the estate, based on a structure of large trapezoids. It is more functional in concept in order to cater to the demands of current users: areas for sports and games, open-air performances, picnic areas, bars, etc.

The small temple, which until relatively recently contained a real Roman altar can be reached via one of the paths on the big island in the lakeside area.

The maze occupies the centre of the square where the palace and chapel used to be located. The other elements in the square are the same ones which went with the palace and, along with it, comprised the central space of daily life in Torreblanca.

Located over the traces of an old pathway, the Passeig dels Esfinxs, is both the linking path and main street of the park. Two sphinxes with human faces and the body of a lion (former guards to the main entrance of the estate) are the sentinels at the central gateway; a row of cypresses lines the route until it reaches the Plaça de la Torre, an ideal site for a variety of open-air activities.

assessment

The communication infrastructures (national road, motorway and railway) form a clear barrier and strongly define this area of metropolitan land. In the middle of this complex framework, the park makes an indispensable contribution by providing an open space with a noteworthy quality of landscape, reinforced by the historical values of the site. As a local park, it serves a population of almost 700,000 and, as a metropolitan park, over 500,000.

Albert García Espuche, architect