The exposition that gave us the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Atomium in Brussels hits the north eastern Spanish town of Zaragoza June 14. We are of course talking about Expo (also known as World’s Fair), which today is the third largest event in the world in terms of economic and cultural impact, after the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games.

Zaragoza has never been a favorite among foreign tourists, but just like Frank Gehry’s already iconic Guggenheim Museum has put Bilbao on the world map, the Expo 2008 will be a major boost to Zaragoza’s tourism industry and the organizers expect that the event will attract more than 5 million visitors.

The theme of Expo Zaragoza 2008 is as hot and contemporary as it can get: 'Water and sustainable development'! To stick to the topic the event is being placed next to the River Ebro, where the exhibition’s most emblematic buildings will be the Water Tower, a 76-metre-high transparent building designed to evoke a drop of water (don’t miss the 720 square meters panoramic bar at the upper floor), Zaha Hadid's Bridge Pavilion, a 270-metre-long covered bridge crossing the river and the River Aquarium, which will be the biggest freshwater aquarium in Europe.

To further emphasize the focus on water and sustainable development the organizers has hooked up with Bob Dylan, who has written a new version of his song “A hard rain’s a-gonna fall” for the occasion.

In total, Expo Zaragoza 2008 has 140 pavilions and 3.400 shows and cultural events are planned. The exposition will be held from June 14 to September 14.

Author David Rich Momondo

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