Barcelona Ethnological Museum in Montcada Street

The Barcelona Ethnological Museum has two sites, one in Montjuic and the larger in Montcada Street in the Born neighbourhood. Here I detail the Montcada street site, which can be divided into four categories, Africa, Oceana, Asia and America.

Africa: This section of the museum has ceremonial statues and masks from the Fang, Dogon, Yoruba, Baule, Bembe, Songye, Bambara and Pende people with some 64 pieces from across Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia.

Oceana: Comprising of some 76 pieces from expeditions to Papua New Guinea and Australia by the Folch Foundation. Including art and statues from the settlements around the river Sepik and from the river Karawari caves.

Asia: 250 pieces representing various Asian cultural and artistic traditions from Gandhara Buddhist images to art from Tibet and Japan. The cultures of India, Afghanistan, Nepal, Tibet, Burma, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, China and Korea are all represented.

America: 138 pieces from Pr-Colombian America from Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Ceramic funerary figures from tombs in Jalisco, Colima and Nayarit, masks from Mezcala, spaces dedicated to the Mayan culture, ceramics from the cultures of the Nazca and Mocheles valleys, Valdivia Statuettes and outstanding pieces of gold work and textiles from the Chimu and Chancay cultures.

Brief History of the building

Located in Casa Mora, the Marques de Llio's medieval merchant's house. It is a large residential mansion originally from the second half of the 13th century in carrer de Montcada near the historic port of Barcelona.

The site was originally farmland and in 1705 was acquired by the father of the first Marques de Llio and has since undergone successive remodels to expand the original farm buildings into a palatial complex for one of Barcelona's elite noble families.

The Noble staircase of the patio and current balconies as well as the front facades onto Montcada street and Barra de Ferro Street were rebuilt. The entrance portal is also from the 1705 remodel.

The building was acquired by Barcelona city council in 1955 and partial restoration was undertaken till 1969. From 1982 till 2008 it housed the Barcelona Textile Museum then till 2008 the Barcelona Design Museum.

Next to Casa Mora is Casa Nadal, another merchant's mansion dating from the 14th century with a typical layout of rooms arranged around a central courtyard. Casa Nadal was acquired by Barcelona city council in 1967 and begun conservation work in 1971. From 1997 to 2010, the building housed the Barbier-Mueller Museum of Pre-Columbian Art in Barcelona.

Since 2015 the Barcelona Ethnological Museum in Montcada street occupies both Casa Mora and Casa Nadal, reopening in 2017 after conservation work to the buildings. Noteworthy are the magnificent restored ceilings and exposed stonework.

Barcelona Ethnological Museum Opening hours:

Summer: May 1st to September 30th: 10:00h to 20:00h Tuesday to Sunday.

Winter: October 1st to April 30th: 10:00h to 19:00h Tuesday to Sunday.

Closed: Monday (except holidays), January 1st, January 6th, May 1st, June 24th, December 25th and December 26th.

Free days:

Every Sunday, from 15:00h to 19:30h.

First Sunday of every month, 10:00h to 19:30h.

12 February (St. Eulalia festival), 16 and 18 May (International Museum Day), 24 September (La Merce festival).

The Ticket office closes 30 minutes before the museum closing time.

Tickets are for both the Montcada and Montjuic Barcelona Ethnological Museums.

Nearest TMB Metro is Jaume on the yellow (L4) line.