Estadi Olímpic

Estadi Olímpic Review

The Olympic Stadium was originally built for the International Exhibition of 1929, with the idea that Barcelona would then host the 1936 Olympics (ultimately staged in Hitler's Berlin). After failing twice to win the nomination, the city celebrated the attainment of its long-cherished goal by renovating the semiderelict stadium in time for 1992, providing seating for 70,000. The Galeria Olímpica, a museum about the Olympic movement in Barcelona, displays objects and shows audiovisual replays from the 1992 Olympics. An information center traces the history of the modern Olympics from Athens in 1896 to the present. Next door and just downhill stands the futuristic Palau Sant Jordi Sports Palace, designed by the noted Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. The Isozaki structure has no pillars or beams to obstruct the view, and was built from the roof down—the roof was built first, then hydraulically lifted into place.