Barcelona Weekend Break
Museums and Galleries
Barcelona is one of the richest cities in the world when it comes to culture and heritage and this is amply demonstrated by the cities museums and galleries of which there are more than thirty.
Below are brief summaries of what we believe to be the best (and most popular) examples.
1. Caixa Forum
- Owned by the bank, la Caixa, the CaixaForum has a stunning location in one of Barcelona's modernist buildings (a former factory) and it holds a permanent display of contemporary art, plus numerous and ever changing travelling exhibitions covering all genres.
The building has three major exhibition areas and two other auditorium style rooms that are used for a variety of different performances and presentations.
2. Pedralbes Monastery
- Open to the public and classified as an historic and artistic monument, the Pedralbes Monastery dates from the very early fourteenth century and represents Gothic architecture of Cataluna.
Within the monastery there is a museum and there are sculptures and paintings dating from the middle ages (part of the Von Thyssen collection) plus beautiful cloisters and a wealth of other treasures. This really is a beautiful building with a calming and peaceful atmosphere.
3. Museu Frederic Mares
- The Museu Frederic Mares is a small museum that features the work of Mares himself along with some medieval exhibits and works of art. Mares travelled a lot and many of the items that he collected are included in the display.
The upper floor of the building is called the Museu Sentimental and takes, not surprisingly, a sentimental journey into Barcelona as it was in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
4. Casa Quadras (Palau del Baro Quadras)
- The Casa Quadras is a beautiful building of modernist design by one of Gaudi's contemporaries, Puig i Calafalch.
5. Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona (CCCB)
- The Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona is a large exhibition centre with a museum. Its exhibits, both permanent and temporary, are intended to be thought provoking rather than of historic value.
It has numerous other events taking place across the calendar, but if you are hoping for heritage and culture, this place will leave you cold.
6. Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA)
- The Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art is a new building that was completed in 1995 and you cannot miss its facade which is glazed and white throughout.
The collections are primarily contemporary from the twentieth century with sections focussing on specific decades as well as a special showcase for works of art from the Catalan region.
7. Church of Santa Monica
- This church with its Baroque cloister acts as an arts and heritage centre and holds the collection of the “Centre d'Art Santa Monica”.
8. The Espai Gaudi in la pedrera
- The Espai Gaudi is intended to give an insight into the life and work of Gaudi by displaying sketches, visual presentations, models and other forms of media connected with or about him. The exhibits also represent Barcelona during the most creative period of Gaudi's life.
The museum is situated on the top (4th) floor of the la Pedrera building and covers over 550 square metres of floor space.
9. Fundacio Antoni Tapies
- The Fundacio Antoni Tapies is a museum and exhibition centre with its primary purpose being that of displaying the work of Tapies.
The facility also has temporary displays and media presentations and the building is another beautiful example of modernist design by Lluis Domenech i Montaner.
10. Barcelona FC Museum
- Barcelona football club has an excellent museum for anyone interested in the club, its history and of course its sporting achievements. The museum covers over 3,500 square metres and pioneered the way for similar football club museums across the world. It is undoubtedly the leader in its field and sees a staggering 1.2 million visitors each year.
English audio support is available and most visitors are tourists from beyond Barcelona.
11. Institut Botanic de Barcelona
- The Institut Botanic de Barcelona is a new purpose built botanical centre and science museum. It holds a nationally important Herbarium and was originally foundered in 1934 and situated in on Montjuic hill above the city.
There are still some associated gardens located close to the city's Olympic Stadium.
12. Museu de les Arts Aplicades
- No information at present
13. Museu Picasso
- See this link for more information.
14. Museu Maritim de Barcelona (Maritime museum)
- Whether you are interested in ships and the navy or not, this museum will entertain and enthral you. It is located in the former ship building area of “Drassanes” and the museum building was constructed in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and was used to build galleons.
The museum smells of the sea, looks authentic and has a full size replica of the Royal Galley of John of Austria (used in the sea battle of Lepanto) plus numerous other ships and exhibits connected with the sea. It also has temporary exhibits. Well worth seeing (especially if the weather happened to be poor).
15. Museu Nacionald'art de Catalunya
- Located in the Palau Nacional at Montjuic, this museum specializes in Catan art, much of it medieval. Reconstructed architectural elements from the Romanesque period, sculptures, paintings and murals are all included in what is considered to be one of the best museums of its type in the world.
The museum is closed on Mondays and has restricted hours on Sundays and holidays.
16. Caputxins de Sarria
17. Fundacio Joan Miro
18. Institut del Teatre
19. Museu Barbier
20. Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya
21. Museu de Ciencies Naturals de la Ciutadella
22. Museu de Geologia
23. Museu de Zoologia
24. Museu de la Guardia Urbana
25. Museu de la Musica
26. Museu de les Arts Aplicades
27. Museu de les Arts Decoratives
28. Museu Textil i d'Indumentaria
29. Museu d'Historia de Catalunya
30. Museu d'Historia de la Ciutat
31. Conjunt Monumental de la Placa del Rei
32. Museu Casa Verdaguer
33. Museu Monestir de Pedralbes
34. Museu Diocesa de Barcelona
35. Museu Etnologic
36. Museu Etnologic Poble Espanyol
37. Museu i Centre d'Estudis de l'Esport Doctor Melcior Colet