Museums & exhibition centres
Beneath the Gothic Quarter's landmark square in Barcelona lies an impressive archaeological site, which offers visitors a glimpse of what the Roman colony of Barcino was like.
This archaeological site is located in the basement of the
Santa Caterina Market and seeks to provide an insight into the development of this area of the city from prehistoric times to the present day.
On 13th February 1937, Barcelona was subjected to the first of the 192 bombing raids by Franco"s army. This attack made the civilian population the unwitting protagonists of the war. The Passive Defence Board was set up in order to tackle the situation and save the lives of the local residents. The first shelters were set up in the basements of houses and in metro stations. However, as the bombings intensified, people joined together to build air-raid shelters.
Can Framis, a factory built at the end of the 18th century, was originally owned by the Framis family. Over the years it fell into disuse, becoming a monument to the industry of the area.
The Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya is housed in the former
Barcelona's Palace of Graphic Arts on Montjuïc, which was built for the 1929 International Exhibition. The museum takes visitors back in time to discover the distant roots of Catalonia's history while giving an insight into the lives of different related cultures from other areas of the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean.