Museu Maritim

The Museum Marítim is located by the waterfront in one of Barcelona’s finest landmark buildings: the Reials Drassanes, the medieval shipyards which are a unique example of civic Gothic architecture. The royal arsenals date from 1378 and are the biggest and most complete Medieval dockyards in the world. The seafaring cities of Venice, Genoa, and Valencia all had impressive arsenals, but only vestiges remain. In contrast, Barcelona's shipyards, with their majestic arches, columns, and gigantic vaults, are a preciously intact. This complex, which before the coastline receded sat right on the water's edge, was used to dry-dock, construct, and repair ships for the Catalan-Aragonese rulers. During the 18th century, the place went into decline, mainly due to the dissolution of naval construction. Right up until the Spanish Civil War, it served as an army barracks.  MAP IT

The open space once used for shipbuilding is an ideal setting to display the collection which began as a small nautical museum in 1929. The museum is a gem for those who love Naval history.
Its collection titled "The Great Adventure of the Sea" is homage to Catalonia's maritime history. 

The most outstanding exhibit occupies an entire bay. It is a reconstruction of La Galería Real of Don Juan of Austria, a lavish royal galley, the original was used as the flagship in the important battle of Lepanto 1571. In 1971, following extensive documentation, this model was built in celebration of the vessel's most glorious achievement 400 years earlier. The ship headed an alliance of Spanish, Venetian, Maltese, and Vatican vessels in a bloody battle against a Turkish squadron. The so-called "Holy League" won, effectively ending Ottoman rule in the Mediterranean. There is an excellent film re-creating the battle, which you watch onboard, and you can view the galley's elaborate hull, hold, and deck where each of its 59 oars were manned by the sailors.

Other exhibits chart the traditional fishing techniques and sailing as sport through neat little caravels and draggers, snipes, and sloops. The art of wooden shipbuilding, the charting of the oceans, and the launch into the steam age are also covered. 

Particularly fine is the collection of late-19th-century mastheads, navigational instruments, and models of the Compañía Trasmediterránea's fleet (this local company still operates the Barcelona-Balearic islands route). The collection also boasts a small model of Ictíneo, one of the world's first submarines designed by the Catalan visionary Narcís Monturiol.

On Barcelona’s Moll de la Fusta quay, a few metres away from the Museu Marítim, the schooner, the Santa Eulàlia, is a wonderful example of a historic three-masted vessel, which has been restored to the delight of anyone wishing to learn a little bit more about our country’s seafaring past.  MAP IT

Barcelona’s Museu Marítim bought this historic and unique vessel at auction in 1997: at the time the ship was known as Sayrernar Uno. Following painstaking refurbishment, which faithfully restored its original appearance, the schooner was moored at the Moll de la Fusta quay in Barcelona’s old harbour, the Port Vell, and renamed in honour of one of Barcelona’s patron saints, Santa Eulàlia. This restoration project, which was the first of its kind in Spain, represented a step forward in disseminating our remarkable seafaring heritage. In addition to this, the restored schooner was also refitted as an operative vessel, meaning that it is not just a visitor attraction but also acts as a flagship for the museum when it sails the waters of the Mediterranean. 

This old ship, which was built in Torrevieja in 1918 and named Carmen Flores, is a wonderful floating ambassador for the museum, and a fine example of a three-masted schooner, which you can discover as you stroll along the quayside or, better still, climb aboard and find out about all the secrets of sailing.

Opening time: From April 1st to October 31st:
Tuesday to Friday, from 12pm to 7.30pm. Saturdays, from 2pm to 7.30pm. Sundays & public holidays, from 10am to 7.30pm.
Apparently it is also possible to navigate on this boatl every Saturday from 10 to 13, on reservation the day before at telèfon 933 429 920. 12€/adult. 
Museum web site  

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