Maritime Museum of Barcelona – Barcelona Royal Shipyard
A major exhibition of maritime culture in a majestic building
The impressive Royal Shipyards are home to a museum on Barcelona’s maritime culture. At the Maritime Museum of Barcelona you can see vessels, weapons, cartography, pottery, documents, ship-building tools, votive offerings, navigation instruments, figureheads, model ships, paintings and charts and you can even board one of the ten historic vessels the museum has moored in the port of Barcelona.
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Why visit the Maritime Museum of Barcelona?
The Maritime Museum of Barcelona (MMB) is located in the magnificent Barcelona Royal Shipyards building, which since its establishment in the 13th century by King Peter the Great, Count of Barcelona, continued to expand until the 18th century in line with the ship-building needs of the time. It is a masterpiece of civil engineering and the largest and most complete example to have survived to the present day. It was there where the royal galley with which John of Austria defeated the Turks in the battle of Lepanto in 1571 was made. A full-scale replica of this vessel is on display.
Over their 700 years of history, the Royal Shipyards have been used for a number of purposes, mainly military, including a barracks, a foundry, an armoury, and an artillery depot. In 1935, the army transferred ownership of the building to the city and in 1941 the collection of models and instruments from the Nautical School of Barcelona was moved there, starting off the museum’s collection.
Now the Maritime Museum of Barcelona has an extensive collection of objects and documents related to maritime culture, in addition to historic vessels and models of ships. As a result of its recent major restoration, the museum is now an interactive and multimedia centre that covers all aspects of maritime culture. In the waters of the Port of Barcelona the MMB maintains ten historic vessels, including the Santa Eulàlia, a three-masted schooner built in 1918, which was the first traditional vessel that the museum recovered, restored and returned to the water.
How do you get to the Maritime Museum of Barcelona?
To get to the MMB you can take the Red Route of Barcelona Bus Turístic and hop off at the Colom – Museu Marítim stop.
For the most curious of you
- Did you know? At the entrance to the museum there is a reproduction of "Ictíneo I", a submarine designed by Narcís Monturiol in 1858, which is also known as the ‘fish-ship’ due to its form.
- Local’s tip: The garden of the Maritime Museum is one of the city’s most surprising corners: an oasis of calm with a small pond and terrace, just metres from La Rambla.
- A must: For lovers of maritime culture and future sea dogs.
