Parque de la Ciudadela (Barcelona, Spain)

The Parc de la Ciutadella (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈpaɾɡ də lə siwtəˈðeʎə]; lit. 'Citadel Park'; Spanish: Parque de la Ciudadela; Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpaɾke ðe la θjuðaˈðela]) is a park on the northeastern edge of Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. For decades following its creation in the mid-19th century, this park was the city's only green space. The 31-hectare (77 acres) grounds include the city zoo (once home to the albino gorilla Snowflake, who died in 2003), the Palau del Parlament de Catalunya, a small lake, museums, and a large fountain designed by Josep Fontserè (with possible contributions by the young Antoni Gaudí). As the location of the Parliament of Catalonia, the tensions in 2018 and 2019 regarding Catalan independence regularly led to the police closure of the park to public access to prevent crowds forming near to the official buildings.