Museu Marítim

The once mighty Reials Drassanes (Royal Shipyards) are now home to the Museu Marítim, a rare work of civil Gothic architecture that was once the launch pad for medieval fleets. The museum, together with its setting, forms a fascinating tribute to the seafaring that shaped much of Barcelona’s history. You can take a load off afterwards in the pleasant restaurant-cafe. The shipyards, first built in the 13th century, gained their present form (a series of long bays divided by stone arches) a century later. Extensions in the 17th century made them big enough to handle the construction of 30 galleons at any one time. In their shipbuilding days (up to the 18th century), the sea came right up to them. The centre of the shipyards is dominated by a full-sized replica (made in the 1970s) of Don Juan of Austria’s flagship. A clever audiovisual display aboard the vessel brings to life the ghastly existence of the slaves, prisoners and volunteers (!) who at full steam could haul this vessel along at nine knots. The museum was being largely overhauled at the time of research, so only part of the display was on show. It’s free on Sundays after 3pm.