The visit started as half curiosity and half shelter from the pouring rain. It’s not on the top museum list, but you’ll be surprised.
Barcelona boasts a lot of colorful museums, including the Picasso Museum, National Museum of Catalan Art (Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya), Joan Miro museum and the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, but my favorite was the Barcelona Royal Shipyard and maritime museum. It was recommended by our lovely hosts and they were so right. So glad and thankful. It’s clearly not the most popular museum in the city (its official homepage doesn’t offer English), perhaps due to other more artistic ones, but it was a very impressive collection of ships, history and science.
다양한 박물관과 미술관의 도시 바르셀로나. 박물관을 찾아보면 나오지 않는 곳들도 있는데 그 중 한곳이 바로 항해 박물관. G의 사촌이 적극 추천하면서 가장 좋아하는 박물관 중 하나라고 추천한 곳. 입구를 찾기가 힘들었지만 일단 들어가고 나니 시간 가는 줄 모르고 돌아다니는 상황 발생.
It was once used as a shipyard and military building and was uncovered and restored through 2013 and opened in 2014. Based on excavations and historical records, the complete construction of the dockyards took more than 400 years. The area and buildings went through severe flooding, plans in becoming a royal palace (which was later discarded) and new towers, barracks and roofs over the years. Some towers and buildings that date back to the 13th century still exist to this day.
조선소이자 해군 건물로 사용되던 곳으로 2013년까지 공사를 진행, 2014년에 새단장 후 개관. 공사를 거치면서 알게 된 사실은 무려 400년 동안이나 공사, 신축 등을 거쳤다는 것. 해변 근처에 위치하고 있어 물에도 잠기고 궁전이 될 뻔도 했던 곳인데 지금까지 살아남아 13세기에 지어졌던 탑과 건물들이 지금도 존재하고 있다.
The museum has a big chunk of photos, videos, papers, books and equipment from a German expedition team who traveled around the poles, namely the Alfred Wegener expedition team. Alfred Wegener (1880-1930) was a German polar researcher and visited Greenland five times for research. They have boxes, their suitcases and small bottles and other scientific kits and instruments. This particular video is played on and on, showing the view of the icy sea. I stepped in front of it, just to see how it would feel, and I felt dizzy. Not lying.
I’ve always been fascinated in areas of discovery, such as archaeology, anthropology and such science expeditions. The possibility of discovering something, whether it’s a natural phenomenon, ancient artifacts or scientific discovery, is exciting in itself and watching these photos, equipments and journals gave me thrills. (But then such subjects will probably not guarantee a job. Unless you find the a new pyramid. )
개인적으로 고고학, 과학 탐험대 등에 관심이 많은 편. 뭔가를 발견한다는 컨셉이 굉장히 매력적인데 사실 G의 친구 중 고고학자의 이야기를 들어보면 현실은 그렇게 매력적이지는 않다고. 박물관에서는 알프레드 베게네라는 19세기의 독일 과학자 겸 탐험가의 작업과 탐험을 보여주고 있는데 사용했던 옷, 먹었던 음식 사진, 도구들, 실험 장비들을 직접 만져볼 수 있도록 해놓았다.
Because everyone needs to have french fries once in a while. Even if it means you have to wear five pairs of underwear.
아무리 춥고 배고파도 먹고 싶은건 꼭 먹어야했던 탐험대. 눈속에 파묻혀 프렌치프라이를 만들고 있는 모습.
One of the must sees in the museum is the reproduction of a galley from the 16th century. The royal galley has a name: Admirals of the Juan de Austria and it was in battle of Lepanto in 1571. The museum also displays other smaller/bigger boats and ships.
Even if I was never really interested in ships or boats in particular, the space did impress me, despite it being so huge and quite daunting. And if you want a break from Picasso (the Picasso museum was not so great, to be honest), Joan Miro or just the overwhelming number of tourists swarming outside of the touristic places, the maritime museum could work. It’s also very close to the beach, so convenient to plan your other schedules around.
- Barcelona Maritime museum or more information in English here (Avinguda de les Drassanes, s/n, 08001 Barcelona) closest to the subway station Drassanes
All photos by rachelsanghee
hey, do you have a twitter?
It’s on the righthand side of the site 🙂