Parque García Sanabria

Parque García Sanabria is Santa Cruz's green lung - and so much more than a park. It's a genuine botanical garden and open-air sculpture gallery right in the heart of the city.

The park's story begins in 1881, when journalist Patricio Estévanez Murphy proposed the idea of a great public park for Santa Cruz. But the city lacked the resources. It wasn't until 1922 that the 'Pro-Park Committee' was formed, with mayor Santiago García Sanabria presiding personally, opening a subscription of 25,000 pesetas that local residents boosted to the 200,000 pesetas needed to purchase the 67,320 m² estate from then-mayor Eladio Roca. The land had previously held a brick factory and a velodrome. The landscaping was carried out by Casa Leyva of Granada, a specialized firm that designed the layout for free in exchange for importing the plants. Many neighbors donated trees and plants from their own gardens. The park was inaugurated in 1926.

The design centers on two diagonal promenades converging at a central plaza where the park's most emblematic monument stands: the García Sanabria Monument, designed by architect José Enrique Marrero Regalado (who also designed the Cabildo de Tenerife building) with the sculpture La Fecundidad (Fertility) by Francisco Borges Salas (1937) - a voluptuous seated woman symbolizing the park's vitality. In 1972 a luminous fountain with different water jets was added. There's also a spiral path winding through the various botanical areas, perimeter walks (like the Tamarind Walk or the Philosophers' Walk), the Rose Garden Walk with pergola, and numerous themed corners.

At the entrance on Calle del Pilar stands the iconic Flower Clock - manufactured in Neuchâtel, Switzerland by the Favag company and donated in 1958 by Danish consul Peder C. Larsen, who visited the park every day after lunch. He also donated two black swans for the pond. The clock was unique in the world: it had a second hand (later removed due to vandalism). The small square where it sits has been named after Peder Larsen since 2014.

The botanical collection includes over 200 species of trees and plants: native Canarian flora, tropical and subtropical species from every continent. Three centennial trees: ceiba, coconut palm and tamarind. There's also an Orchid House and a Water Lily Pond.

But what truly makes this park one-of-a-kind is its collection of contemporary sculpture. In December 1973, the 1st International Street Sculpture Exhibition was held - the first of its kind in Spain - organized by the College of Architects of the Canary Islands. 40 works were placed in the park and throughout the city. 13 were donated by their creators and remain in the park permanently: Monument to the Cat by Óscar Domínguez (the Canary Islands' most famous surrealist), Introversion by Josep Maria Subirachs (the sculptor of Barcelona's Sagrada Familia), Tribute to the Canary Islands by Pablo Serrano, Penetrable by Jesús Soto, Tribute to Gaudí by Eduardo Paolozzi, Labyrinth: Tribute to Borges by Gustavo Torner, Space Stele by Amadeo Gabino, Tribute to Millares by Claude Viseux, Solidarity by Mark Macken, Dice for 13 by Remigio Mendiburu, and three untitled works by Jaume Cubells, Josep Guinovart and Federico Assler.

The park was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural in the Historic Garden category on December 5, 2016 - recognizing its environmental, botanical and artistic values. Adjacent to the park is the Plaza Fernando Pessoa - considered the only zodiacal square in the Canary Islands and probably in all of Spain, featuring a representation of the astral positions at the moment of Lisbon's founding.