The Montjuïc Castle Interpretation Centre opens to the public
From the 26th of February, 2015, visitors are invited to discover the patrimonial significance of the castle by means of a permanent historical exhibition
The Montjuïc Castle Interpretation Centre opened its doors to the general public today (Thursday the 26th of February, 2015). The interior houses a permanent exhibition devoted to the history of this architectural monument, one of the most important in Barcelona, and indeed all of Catalonia. The exhibition, which consists of objects, original works and documentary material from numerous archives, occupies four of the castle’s rooms, which have been remodelled and adapted for the museological project and which are accessible from the castle ward, or bailey.
The aim of the centre is to help acquaint visitors with both the history of the castle and the influence of Montjuïc Mountain on the city of Barcelona, having directly contributed to the growth of the city since the Middle Ages. This predisposition towards helping the general public become acquainted with the relevance of the city’s historical buildings is also present in other emblematic institutions in the city, such as the Sagrada Família, La Pedrera and the Santa Maria del Mar basilica.
The exhibition is divided into four spaces: Barcelona Mountain, Farrell, fortress and stronghold, Defence and repression, and Prison and memory. The first of these, Barcelona Mountain, reveals how the mountain has been inhabited, exploited and transformed over a period of 10,000 years, its quarries having provided the sandstone used for construction in the region since Roman times. Montjuïc is currently one of the city’s major culture centres.
In the second section, Farell, fortress and stronghold, the exhibition focusses on the fortress that, at the beginning of the Catalan Revolt (1640-1652), the city’s government ordered built on the site of the Farell, or watchtower, that had occupied the summit of Montjuïc Mountain since medieval times. The proportions of the fortress were to increase gradually over the years.
In the third section, Defence and repression, the exhibition focusses on the role of the castle as a strategic enclave in the defence and surveillance of the city during the wars of the 17th and 18th centuries. Following the Catalan defeat of 1714, the castle was used to exercise control over the population and, from the 19th century on, as a military prison.
In the fourth and final section, Prison and memory, the exhibition centres on the imprisonments, tortures, trials and executions that took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The castle was also the site where, in 1940, Lluís Companys was executed by firing squad at the behest of the Franco dictatorship.
Montjuïc Castle Interpretation Centre
Opening times: (from the 26th of February on) From the 1st of April to the 30th of September: Monday to Friday, 10 am to 8 pm, and from the 1st of October to the 31st of March: Monday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm.
Tickets: Entry to the castle costs 5 € and includes entry to the exhibition.
Where: Castell de Montjuïc
More information here