Torre de Calatrava
A building that forms part of the city’s skyline
Montjuïc Communications Tower, built by the architect Santiago Calatrava for the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, forms part of the Olympic Ring. Its enormous curved white silhouette, which is reminiscent of an athlete holding aloft the Olympic flame, has become part of Barcelona’s urban panorama.
Montjuïc Cable Car, on the Hola Barcelona app
Your app for discovering the city from the heights with the Montjuïc Cable Car: journey, stops and most iconic places. A comfortable way to carry your tickets too!
Why visit Torre de Calatrava?
Built from 1989 to 1992, this communications tower, which is 136 metres tall, is made of steel and flexible concrete.
The base of the Torre de Calatrava is covered in the trencadís broken-tile mosaic in homage to the Modernista architect Antoni Gaudí. However, Calatrava did not use the same colour palette as Gaudí, as the trencadís of this structure is completely white.
Taking into account its shape, the tower is designed to work as a sundial, projecting the shadow of its central needle over the nearby Plaça d’Europa.
For the most curious of you
- Did you know? Torre de Calatrava is also known as the Torre Telefónica, given that it was this communications company that met the tower’s construction expenses.
- Local’s tip: Once at the Torre de Calatrava, it is worth completing your visit to the Olympic Ring with the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, the Palau Sant Jordi and the Bernat Picornell Pools, the quintessential venues of Olympic Barcelona.
- A must: For lovers of modern architecture.
