Everything you need to know for your visit to the Barcelona Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum of Barcelona, also known as the Naval Museum, is housed in the Drassanes Reials (Royal Shipyards), a 13th-century building originally constructed to store warships for the Crown of Aragon. This building played a crucial role in Catalonia’s naval operations for several centuries, until the late 19th century, when military institutions vacated the shipyards, transforming them into a cultural space.

In the early 20th century, the Patronage of the Mediterranean Nautical Institute began the project to establish a maritime museum in Barcelona. The collection of ship models and nautical instruments from the Barcelona Nautical School, along with other artifacts and documents related to the city’s naval history, formed the foundation of the museum, which finally opened its doors in 1941.