Barcelona City Council has committed nearly four million euros to restore the complex and largely unseen underground water system beneath Park Güell, Antoni Gaudí’s architectural masterpiece. This investment aims to repair significant deficiencies in the century-old network, preserving the park’s structural integrity and reviving the architect’s visionary approach to sustainable water management.
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This project, budgeted at over €3.8 million, will address pressing issues of erosion, flooding, and waterlogging across the park’s 117,832 square metres. According to a report in Metrópoli Abierta, the municipal services company, Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (BSM), awarded the contract to a joint venture between construction firms Bigas Grup and Moix Serveis i Obres.
A Hidden Subterranean City
Beneath the vibrant mosaics and undulating forms that attract millions of visitors lies a hidden world. An intricate labyrinth of wells, channels, and water mines forms a subterranean city, engineered by Antoni Gaudí himself. This network was designed not just for drainage but also as a sophisticated system for capturing and reusing rainwater.
This underground infrastructure remained largely undocumented until a comprehensive 2013 study by the firm Ravetllat Arquitectura finally mapped its secrets. “Gaudí, ahead of his time, created a project where he sought nature-based solutions to harness all the resources that come from it,” the firm’s report noted. The study revealed two primary water mines, now in disrepair from subsidence and blockages.
The Mina de l’Escola, at 64.5 metres long, has suffered collapses, hindering access and water flow. The larger Mina Sala Hipòstila runs for nearly 94 metres beneath the iconic Plaça de la Natura, the park’s main terrace.
Restoring Gaudí’s Vision
Gaudí’s design was a marvel of ecological engineering. He intentionally left the great plaza unpaved, allowing rainwater to filter through to a large underground cistern located in the Hypostyle Hall below, which can hold up to 1,200 cubic metres of water. Gaudí intended this water for irrigating the park’s vegetation and for use by the residents of the planned housing development.
The system’s most famous feature, the mosaic dragon (or salamander, ‘el drac’) on the monumental staircase, doubles as a decorative overflow for this cistern. A secondary connection to a smaller cistern is currently non-functional, an issue the restoration project will seek to resolve. Overall, the entire system showcases Gaudí’s profound understanding of water engineering and nature.
However, years of neglect have taken their toll. The current works will repair the entire drainage and sanitation system and upgrade the irrigation network, which is no longer suited to the park’s modern vegetation. The project is particularly sensitive given that Park Güell has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1984, meaning all interventions must scrupulously avoid altering or damaging Gaudí’s original elements.
A Wider Commitment to Heritage
This major investment is part of a broader effort by the Barcelona City Council to maintain and modernise the city’s essential infrastructure and cultural assets. It follows other significant municipal spending, including a recent €9 million plan for bridge and park restoration throughout the city.
The focus on water management also aligns with the city’s response to the ongoing drought in Catalonia. Efforts to improve efficiency, such as a recent campaign where the council repaired over 700 leaks to save billions of litres, remain a high priority. By restoring Gaudí’s system, the city not only preserves the legacy of one of its most celebrated figures-a man whose architectural footprint continues to be discovered, exemplified by a recently verified chalet in the Pyrenees-but also reactivates a sustainable resource for a modern challenge.
