Resources for your visit

What was the process of industrialisation like around the Ter River, one of the axes of the Industrial Revolution in Catalonia? How did the landscape and human activity coexist? The Museu del Ter, or Museum of the Ter, which forms part of the Territorial System of the mNACTEC (Science and Technology Museum of Catalonia), was created in Manlleu in 2004 specifically to promote the industrial and natural heritage of the central basin of the river Ter.

The Museum of the Ter is based at Can Sanglas, a former cotton spinning factory, located in the last section of the industrial canal of Manlleu. It dates from 1841 and is one of the oldest examples of the factories that were set up on the banks of the canal to take advantage of the hydraulic power.

Thanks to the first of the permanent exhibitions, The River Factory, Can Sanglas looks back at its period of industrial activity. This exhibition highlights the historical aspects of the industrialisation process of the central section of the Ter: from manufacturing jobs to mechanisation. Several experimental machines help to understand how the process of transforming cotton thread has evolved historically.

During the tour we find ourselves in the two power rooms that Can Sanglas had in order to take advantage of the hydraulic energy: the Francis turbine, which allows one to see how electricity is generated; and the Fontaine turbine, one of the first hydraulic motors installed on the Ter.  You can even see how the mechanical system operated the spinning machines!
This first section of the route connects with the second of the permanent exhibitions, The Industrial Society, which explains all the social changes caused by industrialisation.

Finally, the exhibition The Mediterranean Rivers takes a journey through the landscapes, hydrology, ecology, the natural heritage, the socio-environmental aspects and the sustainable management of Mediterranean fluvial courses. And the Ter Museum also houses the Centre d’Estudis dels Rius Mediterranis (Centre for the Study of Mediterranean Rivers, CERM) dedicated to environmental education and awareness-raising.

The Museu del Suro (Cork Museum), situated in Palafrugell, interprets and promotes the heritage that surrounds the world of cork in Catalonia, both before and after the industrial revolution.

Beyond its importance from an industrial point of view (the manufacture of cork and corks was consolidated during the 19th century and had a major impact on the Alt Empordà and Baix Empordà regions), the museum highlights aspects such as the shaping of a landscape, a way of life and an identity around this product. The centre explains the process of both artisanal and industrial cork production, from the ecological environment, the bark of the cork,  transportation, manufacture of bottle corks and their marketing.

The former Can Mario factory, symbol of the power of the Catalan cork sector, is currently the headquarters of the Museum. With ashlar walls with brick decoration, enamelled ceramics and wrought iron, this modernista style building is home to the permanent and temporary exhibition spaces, the workshops and an auditorium with the capacity for a hundred people.

When the ‘clos de la Torre’ in Badalona was developed in 1954, an exceptional discovery was found: the remains of the baths of the Roman town of Baetulo in an excellent state of conservation. In order to preserve the remains, the Museum of Badalona was built over the top of them. It was opened in 1966.

Since its refurbishment in 2010, going down to the basement of the Museum of Badalona gives access to a 3,400 m2 site with the remains of the Roman city. In addition to the baths, the remains of the cardo maximus and the decumanus maximus (with the corresponding drains), various shops (tabernae) and three housing complexes (insulae) can be seen. This is one of the most important and well preserved archaeological sites from the Roman era in Catalonia.

The permanent exhibition of the Museum tells the story of the first settlements witnessed in Badalona - prehistoric, iron age and Iberian - but it is the exhibits relating to Baetulo which stand out, among which are the hinge-posts of the city gate, the Vas de les Naus (Ship Vase) and the portrait of Agrippina.

The collection features an epigraphic document of great value, the Tabula Hospitalis, a bronze tablet that records a hospitality agreement from 98 AD between the baetulonenses and Quintus Licinius Silvanus Granianus, governor of the city. Another jewel of the exhibition is the Venus of Badalona, one of the most important representations of the female form in Catalonia. These pieces were returned to Badalona in 1980, having been looted during the Civil War.

Apart from the main building, the Museum has various extension sites: the Roman archaeological sites of the Casa dels Dofins and the Garden of Quintus Licinius, the Turó d'en Boscà (a walled Iberian settlement), and the Can Miravitges estate (an 18th century agricultural manor house).

The town of Cercs, in Berguedà, forms part of the most important mining centre in Catalonia, particularly from the modern mining of brown lignite coal in the late 19th century. To ensure stable labour in such an isolated place, a colony was built with housing and basic services for the miners, following the example of the textile colonies in the region.

Since 1999, the colony of Sant Corneli has been home to Cercs Mines Museum, which explains what the mining activity in the area was like over many years, from a geological, landscape, social and economic point of view. The Museum belongs to the Territorial system of the Science and Technology Museum of Catalonia (mNACTEC).

The main building of the Museum is the old school of the colony, which was converted in 1931 to the "Hogar del Minero" (Home of the Miner) dedicated to services for workers (café, library, barbershop, cinema, games room, etc.). Here you can see the permanent exhibition that explains what coal mining and the mining infrastructure was like. A significant part is devoted to daily life in the colony and to the working conditions of the miners. Two audiovisual displays describe their most emblematic protests and you can also visit a miner’s house.

In 2012, "The spectacle of the mine: emotions and sensations" was included as part of the exhibition which delves into the world of mining through a immersive museum experience using new technologies.

Finally, a guided tour of the interior of the mine transports the visitor to other periods and you can travel along the first 450 metres of a 7 km long gallery in a wagon.

From history and ethnography to geography and the economy, also taking in the ecology. The Museu de les Terres de l'Ebre (Museum of the Lands of the Ebro in Amposta) gives a cross-sectional view of the Ebro delta region. Visitors can learn about the Ilercavones, learn different ways of fishing, even see a ‘llagut’ up close, the most characteristic river boat.

It was created in 2011, as an expansion and updating of the previous Museu Comarcal del Montsià (Montsià County Museum). It occupies the old modernista building of the Miquel Granell state school, which has been converted to meet the needs of a modern and thought-provoking museum project. The museum conserves and manages one of the most important collections of nature, archaeology and ethnology in the Terres de l'Ebre region made up of more than 35,000 objects, among which the Falcata stands out, an Iberian sword that forms part of the set of urns and artefacts from the Iberian necropolis of Mianes (Santa Barbara).

The permanent exhibition "The lands of the Ebro: from prehistory to the middle ages" takes a tour through the history of the banks of the lower Ebro, starting from the archaeological remains found in the area. The second room, "Ebro: the water road" focuses on the influence of the most important river on the Iberian Peninsula on history and the collective identity, and reflects on what the future of the territory will be like.

On the museum’s website, various archaeological items can be viewed in 3D.

The museum will head up the network "Ebro nature & culture" which brings together museums, interpretation centres, archaeological sites and monuments in the different municipalities of the Ebro.

To understand what the twentieth century meant at an artistic level for the western regions of Catalonia, you should visit the Museu d'Art Jaume Morera, dedicated to modern and contemporary art in Lleida. Various artistic disciplines are represented here: painting, sculpture, architecture, drawing, print-making, graphic design, photography, video and even comics, with a clear predominance of local artists.

Opened in 1917 in the former Sant Lluís market, it is currently located in the Casino Principal building in Lleida pending the construction of its new headquarters. The painter Jaume Morera i Galícia, who donated his art collection and acted as patron, played a very prominent role in the initial tasks of putting together the museum's art collection. In gratitude for his collaboration, the Museum was named after him.

The collection ranges from the turn of the nineteenth century up to the present day: from Baldomer Gili, Xavier Gosé and Santiago Rusiñol to Joan Brossa and Albert Bayona. One of the most important parts of the collection, however, concerns the Avant-garde of the 1930s, in which pride of place is given to 190 works by the sculptor Leande Cristòfol such as De l’aire a l’aire (From Air to the Air, 1933) or Nit de lluna (Night of the Moon, 1935).

In 1927, the exiled Tsarist Colonel, Nicolai Woevodsky and his wife Dorothy Webster, an English Aristocrat fond of decorating, were looking for a Mediterranean paradise in which to settle down. Close to Calella de Palafrugell, on a cliff above Cap Roig, they built a castle which would connect them to this spot for the rest of their lives (they even asked to be buried there). The building was surrounded by an idyllic botanical garden, considered one of the most important in the Mediterranean.

Nicolai himself designed the mansion in the neo-medieval style (imitating the Monastery of Poblet), construction of which began in 1931 and was completed in 1975. It was popularly known as "Cal Rus" (the Russian House) after the origins of its owner. However, the couple always lived at the property which gives access to the botanical gardens. This is the main legacy of Dorothy Webster. She and a team of gardeners from the region took charge of preparing the seven hectares of land in order to plant various species. In 1935 there were more than 500 species of Mediterranean, tropical and subtropical flora.

When the couple died, the estate passed to the Fundació Caixa Girona and then to the "la Caixa" Foundation, which turned the land into a sculpture park for contemporary artists with works by Jorge Oteiza, Jaume Plensa and Xavier Corberó. Every summer the gardens are home to a prestigious concert series: the Cap Roig Festival.

El 1912 a Tivissa, un punt estratègic del riu Ebre, on té vistes a la Cubeta de Móra (conca de moreres), es van trobar per casualitat un conjunt de polseres, arracades, anells, mànecs de miralls i 29 monedes d’època ibèrica. Més tard, va aparèixer una figura de bronze d’un parell de toros. Però va ser el 1927 quan va produir la seva troballa més important: això és el que es coneix com el Tresor de Tivissa , el millor exemple de fusteria ibèrica conservada a Catalunya.

A partir d’aquest punt, es va començar a excavar l’assentament ibèric de Castellet de Banyoles de Tivissa, que ha estat considerat un dels més importants de Catalunya. Ocupava una superfície de 4,4 hectàrees i la seva ubicació li permetia controlar les rutes comercials dels grecs i els fenicis al llarg de l’Ebre. No està clar quan es va fundar, però es creu que pot haver existit ja abans del segle VI aC. Va ser abandonada a finals del segle III aC, amb l'arribada dels romans. Més tard es va construir aquí un petit castell medieval.

Actualment, es poden observar les restes de dues torres pentagonals , l'únic exemple d'aquest tipus d'estructures al món ibèric. La seva posició suggereix que, en aquest cas, més que no tenir una funció defensiva, eren elements de prestigi. També s’han excavat una sèrie de cases que s’irradien cap a l’exterior, que haurien format grups de cases o barris.

Tot fa pensar que, dins de l’assentament, hi havia un santuari o lloc de culte . El Tresor de Tivissa, que actualment es pot veure al Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya , consta de 17 peces d’argent dels segles IV al III aC, que són en gran part vaixella de luxe dissenyada probablement per a ser utilitzada en celebracions rituals.

The Mediterranean climate - long dry summers, mild winters and rain in spring and autumn - is found on only 5% of the Earth’s surface, in five regions. These are present in the Jardí Botànic de Barcelona (Botanical Garden of Barcelona), opened in 1999 and located on the hill of Montjuïc. Arranged over 14 hectares of gently sloping ground are botanical collections from Australia, Chile, California, South Africa and the Mediterranean basin, including the Canary Islands.

The area has been designed by the architects Carles Ferrater and Josep Lluís Canosa, the landscape architect Bet Figueras, the biologist Joan Pedrola and the horticulturist Artur Bossy. Within what seems to be a large, natural amphitheatre, the planting is organised geographically, as well as being grouped for ecological affinities. The designers took advantage of the terrain in order to create the areas and roads while avoiding excessive earth movement.

Notable among its objectives is the conservation, documentation and dissemination of the natural heritage of Catalonia. For this reason, the grounds also houses the building of the Institut Botànic de Barcelona (Botanic Institute of Barcelona), which has an important library and one of the largest herbariums in Catalonia.
Montjuïc botanical garden exists side-by-side with the Jardí Botànic Històric (Historic Botanical Garden), opened in 1941 in the Foixarda area. Its location promotes the growth of the Euro-Siberian species of plants. In 1986, it had to close because it was affected by the construction of the Olympic facilities, although it reopened in 2003.

This medieval building is the gift Dalí gave to Gala, his wife and muse. The Gala Dalí Castle house-museum in Púbol, open to the public since 1996, both encapsulates the relationship between the two lovers and, at the same time, allows the creative talent of the artist to be discovered in all sorts of decorative details.
 
In 1969, Salvador Dalí acquired the castle of the Barony of Púbol, a fortification from the 14th-15th century that was in a very poor state, but which had a captivating mysterious and romantic appearance. The artist himself personally took charge of the interior décor, creating pictorial representations on the walls and ceilings and faux architectural features. He gave the rooms antiques, Baroque textiles and romantic symbols, creating a sombre and sensitive atmosphere, designed as a refuge for his wife.
 
The whole building celebrates the cult of Gala, almost as if she were a feudal Lady. The couple even agreed that Dalí would not visit unless he had received an invitation from her in writing.
 
In the 1980s, the castle was transformed into Salvador Dalí’s last studio. Nowadays, one can see the paintings and drawings that Dalí gave Gala, sculptures of long-legged elephant sculptures in the garden and a collection of haute couture dresses. However, one of the most important elements is undoubtedly the mausoleum in the basement, designed by the painter, where Gala was buried, the Lady of the Castle.
 
The Gala Dalí Castle in Púbol forms, together with Salvador Dalí's House in Portlligat and the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, the ‘Dalí triangle’ of Empordà.