Museu Comarcal de la Conca de Barberà

About the museum

The Museu Comarcal de la Conca de Barberà has its origins in the association Museu Arxiu de Montblanc i Comarca, founded in 1958 to manage the Museu Arxiu installed in the Casal Josa in Montblanc. For years this association promoted the conservation, research and dissemination of the historical, artistic and documentary heritage of Montblanc and the comarca. The comarcal museum was created in 1982 through an agreement between Montblanc town council, the association and the Generalitat de Catalunya, and initially formed part of the network of comarcal museums of Catalonia.

It is now run by a consortium attached to Montblanc town council, in which the council itself, the Consell Comarcal de la Conca de Barberà and the association Museu Arxiu take part. In addition to the Casal Josa, the museum has other registered sites: the former prison on the carrer de la Pedrera, which houses the Centre d'Interpretació de l'Art Rupestre (CIAR) of the Muntanyes de Prades and the Museu d'Art Frederic Marès in Montblanc, and the Molins de la Vila.

The route through the Casal Josa begins on the ground floor with the traditional trades of the comarca (basteros, carreteros, toneleros, pastores, leñadores, carboneros) and continues on the first floor with “La Conca antigua”, from the Palaeolithic to the Iberians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans, and “La Conca medieval”. The second floor covers the modern period, with banditry in the Prades mountains, and the contemporary period, with cooperativism, industrialisation, craftsmanship and the popular culture of giants, dwarfs and bastoneros.

Highlights

• Casal Josa, the museum's historic seat in Montblanc
• Ethnographic exhibition of the traditional trades of the Conca
• Prehistory and the Iberian and Roman periods of the Conca de Barberà
• Banditry in the Prades mountains
• Combined ticket with the CIAR and the Museu Marès

Permanent exhibitions

• Els oficis – Ethnographic exhibition of the traditional trades of the Conca (basteros, carreteros, toneleros, pastores, leñadores, carboneros), set against more industrial activities such as the paper mill.
• La Conca antiga y La Conca medieval – Route through the prehistory of the Conca, the arrival of Iberians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans, and the Middle Ages, with feudalism, the bourgeoisie and coexistence with Jews.
• La Conca moderna y La Conca contemporánea – The era of banditry in the Prades mountains, cooperativism, industrialisation, craftsmanship and the popular culture of the comarca.

Founded

1982

Operated by

Consorci del Museu Comarcal de la Conca de Barberà (Ajuntament de Montblanc, Consell Comarcal y Associació Museu Arxiu)

Admission & discounts

The individual ticket of €4 (general, from 18 years) or €2 (reduced) is valid for the museum, the CIAR of the Muntanyes de Prades and the Museu d'Art Frederic Marès. Free admission for residents of the Conca de Barberà, children under 6, members of ICOM and of the Associació de Museòlegs de Catalunya, members of the Museu-Arxiu, healthcare staff, teachers in the Spanish state and unemployed people in the Spanish state; this must be proven at the entrance.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Lift to the first and second floors. Induction loop at the reception desk, audio guide and sign-language guide via Visitmuseum, and spaces and resources marked with ARASAAC pictograms. Assistance dogs are admitted (with official European Union accreditation).

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Digital treasure hunt “Aventura't al Museu” (QR code at the entrance, in several languages), the “Viatge a la Conca” kit for small groups and, at the CIAR, rock art workshops with advance booking.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Up to 120 guests.

Venue hire: the museum's assembly hall (lectures, presentations, screenings and performances; capacity of up to 120 people) and the temporary exhibition room for small-format exhibitions and workshops.

Plan your visit