Drassanes, Beyond the Maritime Museum
More than an outstanding museum, the Drassanes building also houses fascinating remains of the medieval city walls and a small hidden garden.
Are you familiar with the Royal Shipyards of Barcelona? A visit to the Maritime Museum will give you a first glimpse of one of the finest examples of Catalan civil Gothic architecture in the city. But did you know that this heritage complex also includes a stretch of medieval wall and a secret garden that is only open on certain days?
The wall that surrounds the site is one of its great attractions, as it forms part of Barcelona’s former medieval fortifications and gives a clear sense of the city’s perimeter at the time. To highlight the architectural value of the ensemble, the walls are illuminated every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening, from 7.00 to 10.00 p.m. during the winter season. A night-time stroll offers an unusual view of the heritage site, as the blue-toned lighting makes the structure stand out.
Alongside the wall stands the Portal of Santa Madrona, the only surviving medieval gate in the city—one of those that were closed every night to protect the population, although it is not currently open to visitors. Above the medieval wall lies a small garden that is only open on the first and third Sundays of each month, from 11.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. It was scheduled to open this Sunday, 4 January, but will remain closed due to the Christmas holidays, so you will have to wait until Sunday, 18 January.
The wait will be worth it (please note that the space is not accessible for visitors with reduced mobility), as you will be able to visit an area located on top of the bastion—more precisely, a half-bastion—of the wall. Once it lost its defensive role, the space was transformed into the garden that can be visited today. It is maintained by the Coronela de Barcelona Historical Reenactment Association (pictured recreating a guard post at the Santa Madrona Gate).
The 14th–15th-century wall and the upper garden were spared demolition in the 19th century because the complex served as a military facility. This section of wall is the only surviving stretch and includes two 13th-century towers.
If you would like to explore the Royal Shipyards building and the medieval wall that still forms part of the complex, visit the Maritime Museum of Barcelona, come and see the illuminated walls at weekends and, on the third Sunday of the month, enjoy free access to the Bastion Garden. For full details, consult the Maritime Museum of Barcelona website.