Barcelona Maritime Museum-Open yet?

The museum has never been closed, only partially closed. Anyhow, the renovation ended and it's all up and running again. Nevertheless, note that the museum -aside the magnificent architecture of the medieval royal shipyard in which is located- is not too spectacular and the collections are rather humble. Also note that, as part of the exhibition, there are available excursions on the 1906 schooner Santa Eulàlia, which is moored at the Old Port nearby: http://infocatalonia.eu/w/MxahD For more info on the museum: http://www.mmb.cat/ -only in Catalan and Spanish, use Google Translate :))

PS: On Sundays, from 3pm until closing time entrance is free.

We loved this museum. Do go, if you have time.

Thanks, Karen, for asking and Enric, for the information. I was going to ask. I loved the Naval Museum in Madrid, so this one sounds like a miss for me.

Thank you both, Enric and Jane! I appreciate getting the information and your opinion.

Not at all.

It's really a pity because Catalonia, as member of the Crown of Aragon, was a Middle Age maritime power during the 11th-15th centuries with territories and consulates across the whole of the Mediterranean and beyond. It was also in Barcelona where one of the first maritime and commercial law bodies in Europe was created in 1258: the Consulate of the Sea ( more info here) alongside those of Messina and Genoa. The Royal Shipyards (known in Catalan as "Les Drassanes") in Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, saw the construction of quite a few magnificent ships over this golden period. The Catalan Navy fleet --yes, sometimes is referred to as the 'fleet of the Crown of Aragon' purely for political reasons, but noting Aragon has nor has ever had sea coast.... you get my drift :))))-- comprised a large collection of ships in the tradition of the Latin (rowing boat, flat lines and triangular sail not exceeding 10 tonnes for the cabotage) and Atlantic (round and square sail boats with a capacity of 150-200 tonnes) schools.

Another interesting chapter of this period is the impressive school of map makers that Catalonia and Majorca produced. During the Middle Ages sea navigators used portolan charts, a type of map generated by using a mariner's compass and direct observation to determine the shape and location of coastlines and ports. An outstanding subdivision of portolan charts were the Catalan portolans. One of the most famous maritime charts in Europe during this period is the Catalan Atlas -now kept (!) at the Biblithèque Nationale de France in Paris- created in 1375 and which mapped in stunning detail most of the 'known world' as far north as Scandinavia and as far east as China.

Unfortunately the legacy of such impressive maritime background is now relegated mostly to the archives and not much is known by the general public, not even here in Catalonia. Also few remains have been preserved hence the reason the Maritime Museum displays are, as I pointed, rather humble and dull and do not compare to other magnificent major maritime museums elsewhere. In short: if anyone's expecting lots of gadgets, many scale model replicas of famous ships and breathtaking heroic stories... it's bound for a disappointment. If anything the Royal Shipyard is in itself a magnificent display of architecture which started in 1243 by decree of king Jaume I and achieved its maximum peak during the reign of Pere el Ceremoniós in the 14th century. The premises were used as shipyard and also for weaponry manufacturing for the Catalan and Majorcan fleets until loosing the War of Spanish Succession against the Spanish and French armies in 1701-1714, which saw the disappearance of Catalan sovereignty and self-rule in the aftermath hence disbanding its political and military institutions and armies -including its fleet.

If anyone is particularly interested in learning more about this issue, I recommend this book History of the Catalan Navy which enumerates all aspects of the Catalan Navy in the trade and in the war, its exploits and conquests, a historic collection ranging from prehistoric times to the present day and it's considered to be a master work in this field. There's a catch though... it's not available in English. Yet if you're fluent in French, you'll surely will be able to read this book in Catalan without much problem. Also the museum has a fairly decent library and research centre.

Btw, a curiosity... visiting the Drassanes (Royal Shipyard) these days one will notice the sea is over 50m/70yards away from the complex. Obviously the large ships built there during the Middle Ages were not "carried" to the sea. The explanation is simple... the coast line has been pushed forward several times during the history of Barcelona due to man made works.

The museum has a wonderful replica of the flagship of the fleet that defeated the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. I had to drag DH away. I thought it was amazing, myself. And as Enric says, the architecture is wonderful.

Yes, many years ago, when I was little, one could board the ship and see part of the inside -I still remember the school visits. But I guess the expensive conservation of this exhibition has made it prohibitive and these days you can only see if from the outside.