Museu del Càntir d'Argentona

About the museum

The Museu del Càntir d'Argentona opened in 1975, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Festa del Càntir, as the first museum devoted entirely to the water jug. Its origins lie in the aplec (gathering) held every 4 August, the feast of Sant Domènec, patron of the waters and main festival of Argentona, which was revived in 1951 by the “Amics d'Argentona” led by Jaume Clavell i Nogueras. The museum was first housed in a late Gothic house donated to the town council. Since 2000 it has occupied its current home on the Plaça de l'Església: a building from 1991, designed as a cultural centre, erected where the Cal Carboner farmhouse (16th century) once stood, of which a round stone doorway and a Gothic window survive.

It is a public institution of the town council, managed by a municipal board, and has been part of the Xarxa de Museus Locals of the Diputació de Barcelona since 1994. Its collections bring together more than 4,000 items ranging from the Bronze Age to Picasso: “bóveda” ceramics from the 14th to the 18th centuries, numerous 19th-century pieces and, above all, popular and traditional 20th-century ceramics, mostly from Catalonia and the rest of Spain, but also from Portugal, France, Italy, Morocco, Mexico and Peru.

The central building has four floors. In the basement and on the second floor is the permanent exhibition, organised into five areas: humanity and water, the shapes of water utensils, history, the types and manufacturing process of the jug, as well as the Espai Picasso with four works by the artist. The first floor hosts thematic exhibitions that are renewed every three years.

Highlights

• More than 4,000 jugs and ceramic pieces, from the Bronze Age to the 20th century
• Permanent exhibition in five areas on water and the jug
• Espai Picasso with four works by the artist
• Pieces from Catalonia, the rest of Spain and other countries
• Building that preserves the doorway of the Cal Carboner farmhouse (16th century)

Permanent exhibitions

• Exposición permanente del Museu del Càntir – Five areas on humanity and water, morphology, history, and the types and manufacture of the jug, spread across the basement and second floor.
• Espai Picasso – Second-floor space with four works by the Málaga-born artist devoted to ceramics.

Founded

1975

Operated by

Ajuntament d'Argentona

Director

Oriol Calvo Vergés

Visitors per year

approx. 12,581

Admission & discounts

General admission €4, reduced €2 per person. School groups must arrange the visit with the museum's educational activities service.

Accessibility

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

The building is adapted for people with reduced mobility in most spaces and has lifts; the museum states that all rooms are fully accessible. There are no accompanying staff (enquiries on +34 937 972 152). Guide dogs are admitted. There is a tactile module with braille texts from the Diputació de Barcelona for people with visual impairments, and sign language for deaf visitors.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

By car, via the C-32 motorway (Barcelona–Palafolls), exit 99, or via the C-60 dual carriageway (Mataró–Granollers), exit Argentona centre. Argentona is about 30 km from Barcelona, around 35 minutes by car.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

There is a shop on the ground floor, next to the reception and the temporary exhibition room.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit