MMB – Museu Marítim de Barcelona

The MMB – Museu Marítim is a museum in Barcelona dedicated to maritime history, sea exploration, and shipbuilding.

The museum is located in the impressive Drassanes Reials medieval shipyard, dating back to the 13th century, located on the city waterfront, at the end of the Rambla. and at the bottom of the Montjuic hill.

Recently reopened after a major renovation, the Drassanes is an exceptional example of a Mediterranean shipyard: they were established, as a Royal ship repair open-air facility, at the end of the 13th century.
The current complex was developed initially in the 14th century when Peter IV of Aragon built its first covered structure. The buildings completed afterward, between the 15th and 18th century, gave shape to the architectural ensemble we see today, constituted of long adjacent aisles and whose interior, marked by stone columns and round arches, resembles that of a grandiose cathedral.

The permanent exhibition, recently renovated, is focused on the relationship between Barcelona and the sea, as well as on the city’s maritime history; a history narrated not only through beautiful boats, ships, and vessels, such as an impressive reconstruction of the Galera Reyal built in the Drassanes in 1568, but also with navigational instruments, arms and ordnance pieces, maps, historical documents, everyday objects, videos, and description panels, all located under the imposing vaulted architecture of the old shipyard.

The MMB also features thematic exhibitions depicting the relation between man and the sea from various points of view: the legendary world of piracy, the evolution of underwater photography, and the captivating history of overseas travels, from early 20th-century steam liner voyages to today’s journey of hope thousands make across the Mediterranean to seek a better life abroad.

The Museu Marítim also organizes various temporary exhibitions, conferences, special events, and educational activities.
The museum building, which is fully accessible to physically-impaired people, also contains a cafe and a shop.

Photos © Riccardo Bianchini / Inexhibit.