Maritime Museum of Barcelona – Barcelona Royal Shipyard
All maritime culture and its history in a majestic building
At the impressive Drassanes Reials, you will find the Museu Marítim de Barcelona (MMB), where you can see boats, weapons, maps, ceramics, documents, shipbuilding tools, votive offerings, navigation instruments, figureheads, ship models, paintings, plans, and even board one of the 10 historic vessels that the museum has in the Port of Barcelona.
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Les Drassanes Reials de Barcelona
The Museu Marítim de Barcelona is housed in a magnificent building, the Drassanes Reials de Barcelona, a space dedicated to shipbuilding, which began construction in the 13th century at the request of King Peter II, with expansions continuing until the 18th century. It is a masterpiece of civil engineering and the largest and most complete shipyards preserved. Here, the royal galley with which John of Austria defeated the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 was built, with a full-scale replica on display.
Over its 700-year history, the Drassanes have had various uses, mainly military: they served as barracks, a foundry, an armory, and an artillery park. In 1935, the army ceded the building to the city, and in 1941, the collection of ship models and instruments from the Barcelona Nautical School was moved here, forming the foundation of the museum.
Today, the Museu Marítim de Barcelona holds an extensive collection of objects and documents related to maritime culture, as well as historic vessels and ship models. Following its extensive restoration, it has been transformed into an interactive, multimedia center focused on maritime culture. Additionally, the MMB preserves and keeps 10 historic ships active in the Port of Barcelona, including the Pailebot "Santa Eulàlia", a three-masted schooner from 1918, the first traditional ship the museum restored and put back into the water.
How to get to Museu Marítim de Barcelona?
To reach MMB, take the Red Route of the Barcelona Bus Turístic and get off at Colom – Museu Marítim.
For the curious
- At the museum’s entrance, there is a reproduction of the Ictíneo I, a submarine model designed by Narcís Monturiol in 1858, also known as "fish-ship" due to its peculiar shape.
- The Museum’s garden is one of Barcelona’s hidden gems: a serene oasis with a small pond and terrace, just a few meters from La Rambla.
