The Museum of the History of Catalonia (, MHC) is a

history museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

that promotes the awareness and knowledge of the

history of Catalonia The recorded history of the lands of what today is known as Catalonia begins with the development of the Iberians, Iberian peoples while several Greek colonies were established on the coast before the Roman conquest. It was the first area of His ...

and its culture. The museum is located in Barcelona's Palau de Mar, the former General Stores (''Magatzems Generals de Comerç''), the sole building of Barcelona's old industrial

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

still standing.

Exhibitions

The permanent exhibition "The memory of a country" consists of a journey through the history of Catalonia from prehistoric to contemporary times, documenting the main events, cultures and historic personalities that made up the history of Catalonia. It is divided on 8 historical periods and it develops on the second and third floor of the museum building. At the first floor, instead, temporary exhibitions are showcased, for example: "Fashion and fashion designers" (2019), "Beyond the trenches (1936-1939): Photographies by Alec Wainman" (2019) and "Viladecans Cartells" (2024). The museum website offers free of charge online audio guides for the exhibitions in different languages: Catalan, Spanish, English and French.

Management

It is controlled and funded by the

Government of Catalonia The Generalitat de Catalunya (; ; ), or the Government of Catalonia, is the institutional system by which Catalonia is self-governed as an autonomous community of Spain. It is made up of the Parliament of Catalonia, the President of the Govern ...

through the Ministry of Culture. It is one of the 11 museums that are a member of the Network of History Museums and Monuments of Catalonia Network (XMHCat). Since 1997, the museum building also holds the Center for Contemporary History of Catalonia and its library, which is administered by the Ministry of the Presidency.

Directors

# Carme Laura Gil i Miró (1996) # Josep Maria Solé i Sabaté (1996-2000) # Jaume Sobrequés i Callicó (2000-2008) # Agustí Alcoberro i Pericay (2008-2014) # Jusèp Boya i Busquet (2014-2016) # Margarida Sala i Albareda (2016-2023) # Jordi Principal (2023-present)

References

External links

* {{Authority control History of Catalonia History museums in Catalonia Museums in Barcelona Museums established in 1996