Maritime Museum of Barcelona, close to Tablao Flamenco Cordobes

The maritime museum of Barcelona (in Catalan, Museu Marítim de Barcelona) is located in the Royal Dockyard Building of Barcelona, it was a space dedicated to the ships construction between the centuries XIII and XVIII. The building was constructed in 1243, in the borders of the city.

The museum maritime was created in october 1936 by the goverment of Catalonia. The reason was that the Nautical School of Barcelona had a collection of models and tools and because the military institutions abandoned the building so it was set aside for a museum. The most important pieces of the museum were moved to a different place in 1936 due to the atacks and bombardments during the spanish civil war. The war and the change of goverment stopped the opening of the museum to the public until that, in 1941, it was finally open under the name of Maritime Museum of Barcelona.

In 1958 Jose María Martínez Hidalgo was designated Director of the Museum and he made a great task, among other things, the construction of the Royal Galley and the transfer of the museum with the arrival of democracy. Later on, in 1993, the "Corsorcio of Dársenas Reales y Museo Marítimo" was built.

Since 1999, the museum is more open to the citizens and part of its spaces are used for the celebration of different events. They also rent some of its spaces to other entities of the city for expositions or pedagogic activities.

Building

A gothic style building, the first stage of its construction was between 1283 and 1328 and the second one between 1328 and 1390. Afterwards, reforms and expansions have been made, keeping the original structure.

The entry has a portal with a semicircular arch formed by two voussoirs. On it you can see a crest of the Diputación with the date of a reform made in the XVII century. There is also a shield of Pedro IV de Aragón, el Ceremonioso.

Inside, it stands out specially the life-sized Royal Galley from the battle of Lepanto, captained by Juan de Austria. In the museum, you can also see several embarkations, nautical tools, cartography documents, samples of maritime paintings and even sea offerings.

The museum also has an historical boat named Peilebote de Santa Eulàlia, wich can also be visited with the entry of the museum. It is situated in the Moll de la Fusta, in the middle of the port of Barcelona. It is a very well conservated boat and a beautiful piece indeed. It is also a good excuse to go for a walk around the sea.