Museu Torre Balldovina

About the museum

The museum grew out of the finds from the Iberian settlement of Puig Castellar, discovered from 1902 on the slopes of the Cerro del Pollo. The archaeological and natural science materials were first kept at the Centro Excursionista Puigcastellar and, from 1974, in the Museu Puig Castellar, installed on the ground floor of a building in the town.

In 1982 the town council and members of that museum agreed to create a new one in the Torre Balldovina. The building, restored to a design by Jordi Ambrós, has passed through several stages: a defensive tower in the 11th century, a farm building in the 14th century, a large manor house in the 18th century and a summer house of the family of the writer Josep Maria de Sagarra. In May 1986 it became the seat of the municipal museum and the historical archive, and the museum opened on 19 June 1987.

From 1990 the architect Enric Solsona completed the restoration, and from 1995 the building has had an assembly hall and a workshop classroom for schoolchildren. The reference exhibition traces the history of Santa Coloma de Gramenet from the Iberians of Puig Castellar to the 20th century. In the basement a Civil War air-raid shelter is preserved, dug out using an old medieval hypogeum and now turned into a museum display.

Highlights

• Medieval tower restored as the museum's home
• Permanent exhibition “La muntanya, el riu, la ciutat”
• Material from the Iberian settlement of Puig Castellar
• Civil War air-raid shelter in the basement
• Free admission

Permanent exhibitions

• Santa Coloma de Gramenet: la muntanya, el riu, la ciutat – A tour of the history and territory of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, from the Iberian settlement of Puig Castellar to the present, organised in three areas: the mountain, the river and the city.
• Refugio antiaéreo de la Torre Balldovina – Underground Civil War gallery, turned into a museum display to explain life in wartime in Gramenet del Besòs. It is visited on scheduled dates.

Founded

1987

Operated by

Ajuntament de Santa Coloma de Gramenet

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission. Guided visits to the air-raid shelter and school activities are free, some with prior booking.

Accessibility

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

The website states that the building is accessible. The contents of the permanent exhibition are adapted to easy reading (guide in Catalan and Spanish).

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The museum has a shop and bookshop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Up to 136 guests.

The assembly hall (136 people, with sound system, projector and screen) is lent to associations, bodies and citizens' groups; requests are made using a form.

Plan your visit