Exposició Internacional de Barcelona
| Exposició Internacional de Barcelona 1929 Exposición Internacional de Barcelona |
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|---|---|
 Advertising postage stamp for the Exposició Internacional de Barcelona 1929 |
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| General | |
| Exhibition space | 118 ha |
| Number of visitors | 5.8 million |
| BIE recognition | Yes |
| participation | |
| countries | 29 countries |
| Place of issue | |
| place | Barcelona |
| terrain |
Park Montjuch Coordinates: 41 ° 22 ′ 14 ″ N , 2 ° 9 ′ 0 ″ E
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| calendar | |
| opening | May 20, 1929 |
| closure | January 15, 1930 |
| Chronological order | |
| predecessor | Paris 1925 |
| successor | Chicago 1933 |
The Exposició Internacional de Barcelona ( Catalan [ əkspuzisiˈo int̪əɾnəsiuˈnaɫ ð̞ə β̞əɾsəˈɫonə ]; Spanish Exposición Internacional de Barcelona [ esposiˈθjon inteɾnaθjoˈnal de baɾθeˈlona ]) was the 20th world exhibition officially recognized by the Bureau International des Expositions . It took place after the opening on May 19, 1929 by the Spanish King Alfons XIII. from May 20, 1929 to January 15, 1930 in Barcelona .
prehistory
A world exhibition had already been held in Barcelona in 1888 . However, this had only very moderate success, which is why the responsible politicians decided to prepare a new application.
As a result, the Junta Directiva de l'Exposicio , the planning committee, was founded in 1913 . He was chaired by the then mayor Joan Pich i Pon . The aim was to hold an electrical industry exhibition in 1917 . In 1914, the committee applied for financial aid from the Spanish government to expand the city's green spaces and was then awarded the area on the northern slopes of the local mountain Montjuïc, which had previously only been used by the military and agriculture .
A few months later, however, the planning was suddenly interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War. The project was suspended for six years, so the electrical industry exhibition did not take place. In 1920 the ideas were taken up again and the redesign of the mountain slope into a park began. The opening of the first building in the area in 1923 ( for the International Furniture and Interior Decoration Exhibition ) was a big step forward.
At the same time, General Miguel Primo de Rivera had come to power in Spain and, in consultation with the king, had risen to become dictator. He was of the opinion that a large exhibition would be very suitable for propaganda purposes and for the self-expression of the new government. At his command, the plans were revised again. In 1925 it was finally decided to organize a world exhibition in Barcelona. It was decided to divide it into three departments. The program covered industry , sports and the arts in Spain .
Exhibition area
The 200 hectare exhibition area, which the Junta Directiva de l'Exposició had already been promised in 1914, was located on the northern slopes of the 173-meter-high Montjuïc about 2.3 kilometers south-southwest of Plaça de Catalunya . This had the advantage of giving the visitors the impression that the area was opening up in front of them like a stage.
The complex was designed by architects, engineers and gardeners under the leadership of Pedro Domenech , Josep Puig i Cadafalch and Lluís Domènech i Montaner .
At the foot of the mountain, the large Plaça d'Espanya, adorned with a marble monument, was built, at which the main entrance was, lined with the Torres Venecianes . From this position one could see a large part of the area. In addition, the Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina began at this point , the main axis that cut through the entire area and led directly to the Palau Nacional, where it ended at the mighty Font Màgica , the magic fountain. The Quatre Columnes , erected on this site by Josep Puig i Cadafalch in 1919, were demolished in 1928, like all other public symbols of Catalanism, by the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera. They should not be given any attention during the World's Fair.
The exhibition area itself was divided into three sections. At the bottom were the traffic and transport palace, the buildings of the electrical and textile industry, the Spanish welfare pavilion and the fire station. Slightly higher up were the country pavilions, the palace for modern art, the royal pavilion and the Palau Nacional. Finally, the sports stadium was enthroned on the top level.
In addition to the built-up area, which comprised 118 hectares, the exhibition grounds also included an 82 hectare park with quiet paths, terraces, cascades and gardens.
Infrastructure
A rack railway was laid from Calle Marqués del Duero to the highest point of the site, Paseo Central. This was intended to make it easier for visitors to climb the mountain. The fare was 35 céntimos.
From the main station you could take trams and buses to the valley station of the train, where a new type of escalator made it easier to access the cars. A viewing terrace had been set up at the mountain station. From here, the exhibition grounds, the city and the surrounding mountains could be seen in panorama. In the course of the world exhibition, another track up to the Castell de Montjuïc was completed.
The infrastructure in the city itself has also been modernized: a new train station and a new airport have been built and the tram routes have been laid underground to partially eliminate the traffic problems. In addition, the construction of the Barcelona Metro began in 1923 , the first line of which opened a year later. Two more connections followed in 1926 .
architecture
The general plan by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, a Catalan architect, had provided a uniform design for all buildings, but after Primo de Rivera came to power in 1923, another competition was held. As a result, numerous architects were ultimately commissioned to build individual sections. The Spanish government preferred monumental facades, but otherwise left all options open to the planners. The result was a mixture of many different styles that did not necessarily all harmonize with one another.
Landmark
Palau Nacional
The Palau Nacional (National Palace) was the largest building of the world exhibition and was located at the eastern end of the Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina .
The palace was conceived as a Spanish national monument and as the undisputed landmark of the exhibition. It had a similarly high recognition value as the Eiffel Tower in Paris from 1889 or the Crystal Palace in London from 1851 ( Great Exhibition ). Josep Puig i Cadafalch came up with the first drafts for the building as early as 1910. He proposed simple shapes, symmetry and neo-classical decor.
After the renewed tenders that Enrique Catá and Pedro Cendoya were able to win for the Palau, the plans were changed. Their concept did not differ much from Josep Puig i Cadafalch's, but they emphasized the Spanish unity through several monumental style elements in the facade.
Catá and Cendoya combined different Spanish styles in their construction, drawing on the academic eclecticism of the 19th century. Your predecessor had striven for a more modern architecture.
Inside the Palau Nacional, a 5,000 square meter ballroom was built that could accommodate 20,000 people. The largest dome in Spain at that time arched over it. In addition, the hall was flanked on the roof by four high towers, which should be reminiscent of the churches in Santiago de Compostela and Saragossa .
For the world exhibition, the Palau was the center of the art department in Spain , so it was only focused on culture. This made it a counterpart to the large industrial exhibition halls of the previous world exhibitions. Over 4,000 exhibits that had been loaned from museums, churches and private collectors were exhibited on two floors. In addition to ancient Roman art, this also included works by the great painters Francisco de Goya and Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez . The archaeological department was housed in the basement and a separate building for modern art was built behind the palace.
Estadi
The stadium, the Estadi, was built in 1927 and was the main building for the sports sector . The grandstands held around 60,000 visitors. Top-class competitions were held here throughout the summer, ensuring a constant flow of visitors.
With foresight, the architects created large open spaces around the Estadi, as they expected a rapid increase in automobiles in the future. The areas were planted with lawn or paved and connected to the road network.
Poble Espanyol
At that time it was customary to give visitors - especially foreigners, who saw little more of the country than the World Exhibition Grounds - a glimpse into the respective country by means of replicas of certain places.
In Barcelona, replicas of the “most beautiful and typical buildings of all parts of Spain” were built on 20,000 square meters. A medieval-looking city wall surrounded the area.
In this Poble Espanyol ("Spanish Village") traditional costume parades, knight tournaments, dance, music and folk festivals as well as reenactments of historical events took place almost daily. In addition, costumed rural dwellers were hired for the duration of the world exhibition, who should breathe Spanish life into the scenery. Within the city walls there were restaurants, information points, grocery stores, telephone exchanges and the office for public tours in various languages.
The village was divided into four different zones. It is entered through a copy of Ávila's San Vicente city gate . Behind it stretched a Castilian square on the right-hand side of which the Extremadura district joined.
Replicas of the Sangüesa colonnades led to the Plaza Mayor, the place where all the events took place. The square was lined with the replica town hall of Valderrobres and buildings from various, predominantly northern, provinces of the country.
Torres Venecianes
The Torres Venecianes (The Venetian Towers) mark the beginning of the Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina as twin towers on Plaça d'Espanya . The 47 meter high structures were designed by Ramon Reventés . It was based on the architecture of the Campanile San Marco in Venice, hence the name. The main entrance to the exhibition was located between the towers.
The German Pavilion
The Weimar Republic pavilion was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and was located on the middle level of the exhibition grounds. It set new standards in room architecture and was the first building with a " free floor plan ".
resonance
Participants and spectators
29 nations took part with pavilions at the Exposición Internacional de Barcelona (including Belgium , Denmark , Germany, France , Italy, Norway, Romania , Switzerland and Hungary). In addition, numerous international private exhibitors, such as large companies or companies, presented themselves. The majority came from Japan and the United States of America. A total of 12,900 exhibits were on display.
At 5,800,000, the number of visitors was far below the average at the time (19,000,000 came to the 1915 World Exhibition in San Francisco, and even 38,872,000 in Chicago in 1933). Nevertheless, the exhibition was a success for the Catalan city from an economic and tourist point of view, as it sustainably increased the annual number of visitors. It also attracted a number of European companies and boosted the domestic economy through an increase in orders. This is remarkable in that Spain was in an economic crisis at the same time.
criticism
A major point of criticism was the inadequate signage of the objects in the Palau Nacional. Since an exhibition catalog was not available in time, only a few visitors could do anything with what was on display. In the media, the exhibition was nowhere near as celebrated as the one from 1888. Some Catalan newspapers wrote that it was slowly waning. The public also made fun of the finely structured and extremely bureaucratic organization.
organization
The organization of the world exhibition was taken over by several committees. King Alfonso XIII was the patron.
The executive committee, which took over the planning and controlled the structure and process, was chaired by Marqués de Foronda . The honorary committee was subordinate to the mayor Dàrius Romeu i Freixa . This committee had the task of representing the exhibition internationally. Its members traveled abroad to promote and publicize the event. There was also an advisory committee. It was precisely this body, without a specifically defined task, that was the main target of the above-mentioned criticism. The royal general commissioner for the event was Albert Henri Marie de Bourbon e de Castellvi . He represented the head of state at receptions and similar occasions.
financing
The world exhibition was very expensive. In total, the expenses amounted to around 130 million pesetas (about 25 million US dollars). Most of these were borne by the city of Barcelona. The Spanish state paid 10 million pesetas in grants.
Part of the cost was covered by the entrance fee, which was two pesetas. However, these accounted for less than 10 percent of the costs, so that the exhibition ultimately ended with a loss.
Others
The Exposición Ibero-Americana was held in Seville at the same time as the World Exhibition . Only the Latin American countries presented themselves here. They wanted to show their connection to the old colonial power.
Reuse
The site of the 1929 World's Fair is still in use.
The Plaça d'Espanya has developed into one of the largest transport hubs in the Catalan capital. Many of the former nations pavilions have now been converted into exhibition halls. The Palau Nacional continues to house art as the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya . The smaller exhibition houses behind him are now museums - as is the Poble Espanyol. The Estadi remained unused for a long time after the exhibition. At the 1992 Summer Olympics , it was heavily modified and extended, and in the name of Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys renamed. Until 2009 it served as the home stadium of the Spanish first division soccer club Espanyol Barcelona . The above-mentioned open spaces were also redesigned in 1992 to become the central squares in front of the Olympic Stadium. The cable cars on Montjuïc are also still in operation. The famous German pavilion was demolished after the exhibition was over, but due to its popularity it was rebuilt in 1979 and reconstructed according to the old plans.
swell
- ^ A long way ( Memento from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ). EXPO 2000 website .
- ^ A stage for the exhibition ( Memento from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ). EXPO 2000 website.
- ^ A b Luis Calvo Teixeira : Exposiciones universales: el mundo en Sevilla. Editorial Labor SA, 1992, page 123.
- ↑ Comparison table of all world exhibitions organized by the BIE
- ↑ Exhibition dates
- ↑ Eric Mattie : World's Fair . Belser Verlag, 1998, ISBN 978-3-7630-2358-5 , page 132
- ↑ Brief description of the exhibition ( Memento from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ). EXPO 2000 website.
literature
- Winfried Kretschmer: History of the world exhibitions . Campus-Verlag, 1999, ISBN 978-3-593-36273-1
- Special: 150 years of fascination with the World Exhibition 1851–2000 . Issue 03 | 1998
- Eric Mattie: World's Fair . Belser Verlag, 1998, ISBN 978-3-7630-2358-5
- Monika Meyer-Künzel: The predictable benefit - urban development through world exhibitions and the Olympic Games , Dölling & Galitz, 2001, ISBN 978-3-933374-89-9
- Helmuth Bischoff: Barcelona . DuMont, 3rd edition, 2007, ISBN 978-3-7701-6406-6
- Luis Calvo Teixeira: Exposiciones universales: el mundo en Sevilla . Editorial Labor SA, 1992
Web links
- Exposició Internacional de Barcelona. Bureau International des Expositions (English). Retrieved March 23, 2017 .
- Presentation of the World Exhibition 1929/1930 ( Memento of February 10, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) on the EXPO 2000 website