MAC – Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya, Barcelona

The MAC – Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya is the most important archeological museum in Barcelona. The museum is one of the sites composing the MAC network, which includes on-site excavation sites and museums across all of Catalonia.
The museum in Barcelona is housed in a palace, built for the 1929 World Fair, located at the Parc de Montjuic, alongside other museums such as the Fundació Miró and the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.

Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya, Barcelona. Left, exterior view; right, the Roman section of the museum, 1935, Unknown photographer, courtesy MAC, Barcelona, Photo archive, (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

The museum galleries, recently renovated, are focused on archeology from Prehistory to the Middle Ages. The permanent collection is divided into five sections: Prehistory, Phoenicians and Greeks, Iberian culture, Rome, and The Visigoths; the exhibition mostly presents artifacts found in the Catalan region, integrated with graphic panels that help the visitors understand the complex history of Catalonia.

The museum also organizes temporary exhibitions, special events, conferences, guided tours, and learning activities for children and adults; it is also a renowned restoration center.
At the museum, a bookshop is available to the public; the Archeological Museum of Catalonia is wheelchair-accessible.

An interior view of the Archaeological Museum of Catalonia; photo courtesy of Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

Special exhibitions “Ànimes de Vidre” and “Històries de Tocador”, installation views; photos Josep Casanova (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

Cover image: MAC – Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya by Ajuntament Barcelona