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Museu Marès

Download date: 15/10/2026

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In 1946 the sculptor Frederic Marès (1893-1991) gave his magnificent sculpture collection to the city of Barcelona. Two years later the Museu Marès opened.

  • Museums

  • Accessibility
    Accessible for people with physical disabilities

An exceptional building

Very close to the cathedral, the Museu Marès is housed in part of the Palau Reial Major, which had been the residence of the counts of Barcelona and the kings of the Crown of Aragon and Catalonia in the Middle Ages, a Gothic building of enormous historical value and great beauty.

The Grand Royal Palace embraces a delightful inner courtyard surrounded by archways and full of orange trees, the verger, or orchard. It is open to the public and during the months of good weather it is a peaceful meeting point, undisturbed by the noise and bustle outside. In the middle of the courtyard is a fountain where, during Corpus Christi, an egg dances in the L’ou com balla celebration.

The Marès universe

It is definitely worth going in and taking time to discover the secrets of the Museu Frederic Marès, because it is packed with items of every kind. Visitors can admire magnificent wooden Romanesque polychrome sculptures, but there are fans, old pharmacist’s jars, pipes, toys and lots more too. Such was the universe of Frederic Marès, the sculptor who devoted a large part of his life bringing together Hispanic sculptures and objects in a collection of great value.

The most notable works of art include a portrait of the Roman emperor Augustus, from imperial Tàrraco (Tarragona), and an extensive series of polychrome religious figures dating from the 12th to the 18th centuries.

Among the everyday objects, arranged in ten themed rooms, the collection of women’s items (clothing, accessories, jewellery, etc.) stands out, as does the photography room and the collection of wrought iron, ranging from medieval keys to strong boxes. Frederic Marès never lost his passion for collecting, so the museum continued to expand and be enriched by new items. The lack of space meant work had to be carried out to enlarge it in the 1960s and again at the end of the 20th century. While this work was taking place, a part of the Roman wall was discovered, including one of the towers.

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Location and contact

Location and contact

Museu Marès

Address:
Plaça de Sant Iu, 5
Districte:
Ciutat Vella
Neighborhood:
el Barri Gòtic
City:
Barcelona
Getting there

Timetable and prices

Timetable

Dies Hores Preus
Tuesday to Saturday From 10:00 am to 7:00 pm
General admission: €4.2


Concession: €2.40:

- Groups (10+ people)

- People aged 16 to 29

- People aged 65 or over

- Retired people

- Unemployed people

- Targeta Rosa reduïda

- Large and single-parent families

- Library card


Free:

- Under 16s

- Registered with the Gaudir+BCN programme

- ICOM card

- Professional tourist guides

practising the profession

- Teachers in formal education

with accreditation

- Accredited journalists

- Associació Museòlegs

de Catalunya card

- Targeta Rosa gratuïta

- Metropolitan companion pass

- First Sunday of the month

- Sundays (3 pm to 8 pm)

- 12 February (Santa Eulàlia)

- 18 May (International Museum Day)

- 16 June (Corpus)

- 24 September (La Mercè)

Sundays and public holidays

Closed on 25 December, 1 January, 1 May, and 24 June

 From 11:00 am to 8:00 pm

Museum Night 2025:

17 May

 From 7.00 pm to 1.00 am
Free admission

Events

Observacions

The Museu Marès allows visitors to trace the history of art through collecting. Keys, fans, pipes, amulets, Spanish playing card decks, walking sticks.

A collector’s museum par excellence, it comprises two clearly differentiated sections—virtually two autonomous museums: the collection of Hispanic sculpture, largely polychrome carving, from the Iberian world to the early twentieth century; and the Collector’s Cabinet, a collection of thousands of objects from everyday bourgeois life that Frederic Marès called the Museu Sentimental.

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