The “International Recognized Exhibition Expo 2008 Zaragoza” took place in Zaragoza, Spain, from June 14 to September 14, 2008. Organized by the company Expoagua Zaragoza 2008, it was a recognized Expo (International Recognized Exhibition) under the International Exhibitions Bureau (Bureau International des Expositions, BIE), with the theme “Water and Sustainable Development.” It coincided with the bicentenary of the First Siege of Zaragoza. The Expo welcomed 104 countries and recorded more than 5.6 million visits.

The BIE General Assembly, meeting in Paris, chose Zaragoza on December 16, 2004, over Trieste, Italy, which proposed the theme of the mobility of knowledge, and Thessaloniki, Greece. The BIE recognized the Expo on December 1, 2005, and describes it as the first Expo of its type held under new rules that limited such events to three months and 25 hectares. Spain hoped the Expo would build on the experience of Expo 1992 Seville and attract investment, especially along the Ebro River.

The 25-hectare site occupied the Meandro de Ranillas, a bend of the Ebro about three kilometers from the Plaza del Pilar in the city center. Zaha Hadid designed the Bridge Pavilion, which served as the main entrance from the city and housed thematic exhibits, and Enrique de Teresa designed the droplet-shaped Water Tower, 76 meters high. The River Aquarium, described by the BIE as the largest freshwater aquarium in Europe, held more than 300 species from rivers including the Nile, the Mekong, the Murray-Darling and the Ebro.

The grounds were organized into eco-geographic zones such as islands, rainforests, oases, ice and snow, mountains and grasslands, and six thematic plazas explored subjects including thirst, clean energy, the governance of river basins and urban water. National pavilions took their own approaches to water: Germany offered a miniature boat ride, Switzerland let water fall from the ceiling, and Algeria presented the traditional foggara irrigation system. Bob Dylan performed at the opening ceremony and Philip Glass at the closing, within a program of some 3,400 cultural activities that included Cirque du Soleil’s daily parade, “Awakening of the Serpent.”

Alongside the exhibition, the Water Tribune brought together scientists, engineers, politicians, business leaders and researchers to debate water management. Its conclusions became the Zaragoza Charter, a set of recommendations for sustainable water management presented after the Expo to the Government of Spain, the BIE and the United Nations Secretary-General.

The Expo left a lasting mark on the city. Zaragoza became the first Spanish city to host the office of a United Nations program, the UN International Decade for Action “Water for Life” 2005-2015. The Expo also drove the transformation of the Ebro riverfront and the modernization of the city center, with new bridges, improved roads and a public bicycle system that remains in use. Expo 2008 Zaragoza placed water on the Expo agenda and reshaped the city’s relationship with the Ebro.