When we talk about the museums in Barcelona it is usual to think of the most well known: the Museu Picasso, Miró, Tàpies, MNAC, MACBA, Caixa Forum, CCCB, etc., almost all major institutions of art, with visual art exhibitions of renowned artists. But this city also has places that are little treasures, hidden gems and curiosities which receive little attention. Some of these spaces accumulate pieces that refer to the first Cabinet of Curiosities that were the forerunners of today’s art museums. So, one has to visit the old feeling of stepping into the old rooms of wonders, where where the objects brought by explorers and adventurers were stored. Among these wonderful places of Barcelona we have highlighted four of them that are well worth a visit: the Museu Frederic Marès, the Museu dels Autòmats del Tibidabo, the Museu de la Música and the Museu de la Xocolata.
Museu Frederic Marès
To the sculptor Frederic Marès (1893-1991), sculpture was more than an artistic vocation. Throughout his life he gathered an extensive collection of Hispanic sculpture, from ancient times to the nineteenth century. Today, this collection, along with his library and his Cabinet Collector, are part of the heritage of Barcelona and you can visit at the former Royal Palace of the Counts, located right in the heart of the Gothic Quarter. A very unique space that was founded by the same sculptor in 1946.
The Collector’s Cabinet of this museum is a real room of wonders and curiosities that brings tens of thousands of unusual objects documenting lifestyles and customs of the past. Elements of the nineteenth century as fans, pipes, jewelry, photographs, toys, pharmacy jars… create an intimate atmosphere and evoke the particular universe of Marès. In the museum there is also a courtyard with a terrace and bar (open to all audiences), which is one of the most peaceful and hidden places right in the center of Barcelona.
More info: MuseuFredericMares
Foto: Jordiferrer
Museu dels Autòmats Del Tibidabo
This unusual museum, located in the Collserola mountain, houses a magnificent collection of automata and models in movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. All of its pieces reflect different cultures and themes, and its perfect condition, makes it a world reference as a automata museum. Opened in 1909 and located in an old theater, the museum is possibly one of the most secret and hidden places of Barcelona.
Besides, there are also automata dolls with traditional operating currencies of the oldest fairs in Europe, some games and mechanical toys and dioramas depicting an opera, a chotis, the fairyland or hell. Visiting this museum is embarking on a nostalgic journey that takes us to the early years of our childhood, full of mechanical figures that come to life before our eyes.
More info: Tibidabo
Foto: Sguastevi
Museu de la Música
The Museu de la Música in Barcelona brings together one of the most comprehensive collections of Spain music, musical instruments and documents around the world, from ancient civilizations to the new technologies of the XXI century. This museum opened in 2007 on the second floor of L’Auditori, as a result of a long process that began in the early twentieth century. Designed by architect Rafael Moneo, is a modern building that allows visitors to approach music in first person and perceive it as a form of expression in history.
The main museum tour, called Orpheus, begins with an introduction to the elements of music to continue their evolution in time and space: from ancient civilizations and the birth of polyphony, through the baroque period, the classicism and romanticism, to the new sounds of the late nineteenth and twentieth century. There is also a background related to the Catalan musicians and another linked with various music media over time. All this presented in a audiovisual and interactive way.
More info: Museu de la musica
Foto: Jason gessner
Museu de la Xocolata
This space of Barcelona, located in the former convent of Sant Augustí, allows to discover the history of chocolate, from its origins to its arrival in Europe and its relationship with the city. Even the building where the museum is located has had a relationship with chocolate. There it was served as breakfast from the Bourbon army, in the eighteenth century. a “half ounces of chocolate with a cuarterón bread … “.
This space in Barcelona, located in the former convent de Sant Agustí, allows to discover the history of chocolate, from its origins to its arrival in Europe and its relationship with the city. Even the building where the museum has had a relationship with chocolate: there it was served as breakfast to the Bourbon army in the eighteenth century, a “half ounces of chocolate with a paneled bread.”
More info: Museu de la xocolata
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