A visit to the Parc del Turó de Monterols :: Aparca't

A visit to the Parc del Turó de Monterols

21/07/2006 08:00 h.

Text: Maria Rosa Salvadó

Photos: Dani García

Normally you have to search for good things, they are not always obvious. This is the case for the Parc del Turó de Monterols, a place you get to by climbing steep roads, on a hill rising to 121 metres.

At the top of the hill, green and fresh, the park appears in front of the surprised walker, who is about to discover one of the prettiest city parks in Barcelona.

The Turó de Monterols was called Turó d'en Gil in the early part of the last century, referring to the previous owner of the estate. It is a park which Nicolau M. Rubió i Turudí, who was responsible for parks and gardens in Barcelona for many years, included in the system of green areas for the city in 1926.

The hill formed part of a private estate, with gardens and woodland. The steep slopes and top of the hill was never built on, and in the 1940s, the estate was acquired by Barcelona City Council, and converted into a public park.

The paths

One of the major characteristics of this park is its paths, defined by the slope of the land. Far from being inconvenient, the paths make the park a very pleasant place to wander round, in the middle of green and leafy vegetation.

A series of gravel paths lead to the top of the hill – and some wonderful views of Barcelona – on a circular route linking different zones of the park; very pleasant to wander along.

Along the route there are large trees and plenty of shrubs which isolate this green space from the surrounding buildings - such that we have the pleasant sensation of hearing bird song, and the feeling of being far from the city.

The woodland

The trees are a particular feature of the park, and were already there when it was taken over by the council. This means that the Parc del Turó de Monterols has large, well-established trees, with oaks, cypress, and giant pine trees.

There are also enormous carob and olive trees, and quite a few almond trees as a vestige of the agricultural past of Sant Gervasi de Cassoles.

Rest areas

There are plenty of places to sit and enjoy the shade. And there are those which are a little more special, like the one presided over by a cork oak, extending its shade over the benches. It is a calm place, to meditate and reflect on life.

Entering the park from Carrer Gualbes, there is a rest area on the right. Here there is a fountain with decorated stone. This entrance, as well as being the main entrance to the park, has a shaded area specifically for dogs.

The old stone quarry

Stone is an important element in the Parc del Turó de Monterols: steps making walking easier, small walls, and occasionally a stone to sit on. Then there are the terraces, with stone forming a flat area where none existed. And in the middle of two children's parks, the memory of what was a stone quarry.

The small area of what was the quarry has been planted with native plants, and has a slightly wild aspect. It is, without doubt, one of the corners of the park where wild plants spring up.

Here, at the foot of two tall, slim, Californian palm trees, there are a lot of our native palm trees, the cabbage palm, as well as groups of herbs: lavender, rosemary, sage and thyme. There are also typically Mediterranean trees and shrubs, such as mastic, the strawberry tree, Spanish broom and hazelnut.

Did you know...

In the Parc del Turó de Monterols there are many carob trees (Ceratonia siliqua). This a tree which survives in dry areas, and grows well in Mediterranean regions, as it likes to be near the sea.

It is an evergreen, with composite leaves of intense green. The tree can grow to 10 m high, and the trunk and foliage give it great strength. Its fruit, the carob bean has been used for centuries as animal feed, and also for humans when the need arose.

In olden times, and for the stability of its weight, the seeds of the carob – - which in Arabic was pronounced qirrat – was used as a measure in jewellery and pharmaceutics. Still today, the measure for precious stones, gold and the grading by weight of pearls is the carat.

The old carat (half the weight of a carob seed) was the unit which served to establish the metric carat in 1914, as it was considered ideal for the small size of precious stones. Qirrat comes from the Greek word keration, "little horn", referring to the shape of the seed pod.

Among other active ingredients the seed is rich in tannins, which gives it great medicinal value. The seeds are also used to make chocolate and to thicken food as tasty as ice-cream.