Museu de Matemàtiques de Catalunya

About the museum

The Museu de Matemàtiques de Catalunya, known as MMACA, arose from a non-profit association founded in 2008 by Catalan maths teachers with the aim of creating a museum devoted to the subject. It is supported by the Departament d'Ensenyament (Education Department), the Societat Catalana de Matemàtiques and the Federació d'Entitats per a l'Ensenyament de les Matemàtiques de Catalunya. It ranks among the first interactive museums in the world devoted exclusively to mathematics, alongside the Mathematikum in Giessen and MoMath in New York.

The permanent exhibition, entitled “Experiències matemàtiques” (Mathematical Experiences), occupies some 300 m² on the second floor of the Palau Mercader, in the Can Mercader park in Cornellà de Llobregat. It brings together more than a hundred interactive modules, which are constantly renewed, dealing with geometry, games, statistics, fractals, arithmetic, optical illusions and art. Many of them were designed by the members themselves with simple materials such as wood and mirrors.

The rooms are named after mathematicians, popularisers and educators, among them Eratosthenes, Emma Castelnuovo, Martin Gardner and Maria Montessori, and the museum's motto is “Prohibit NO tocar” (“Forbidden NOT to touch”). Besides visits, the MMACA runs family workshops, activities for schools and travelling exhibitions, and has opened a small room in Tarragona.

Highlights

• More than a hundred interactive modules in the exhibition “Experiències matemàtiques”
• Rooms named after mathematicians and educators
• The motto “Prohibit NO tocar” (“Forbidden NOT to touch”): everything can be touched
• Family workshop “Les cúpules de Leonardo” in the Can Mercader park
• Housed in the historic Palau Mercader

Permanent exhibition

• Experiències matemàtiques – Interactive exhibition of some 300 m² with more than a hundred modules on geometry, games, statistics, fractals, arithmetic, optical illusions and art.

Founded

2014

Operated by

Associació per promoure i crear un Museu de Matemàtiques a Catalunya (MMACA)

Admission & discounts

Online booking of the exhibition visit: €2 per person. Without prior booking, admission is by voluntary donation. “Petites experiències matemàtiques” (first and third Sunday of each month, 11:15–12:15): €2 per person.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & familiesRecommended for ages 6+

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

Exhibition and workshops recommended from age 6. Family workshops, such as “Les cúpules de Leonardo” in the Can Mercader park, and activities for summer camps. All modules can be touched.

Getting there & parking

By car, via the Ronda de Dalt, exit 15.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit