Museums, archives, exhibition halls and libraries to start re-opening from 2 June
Facilities will re-open following the safety measures set out by the health authorities to protect users and staff, including controls on access and capacity, the obligatory use of face masks and the installation of protective screens. Museums will also have new opening times and offer 50% discounts on admission prices.
Municipal museums and archives
The first facilities to open, with capacity controlled and reduced to a third, will be:
- El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria
- MUHBA Plaça del Rei and MUHBA Via Sepulcral Romana de la Plaça de la Vila de Madrid
- Museu del Disseny (exhibition room devoted to industrial design)
- Museu Etnològic i de Cultures del Món, sites in Montjuïc and C/ Montcada
- Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes
- Museu Frederic Marès
- Castell de Montjuïc
- Arxiu Fotogràfic de Barcelona (exhibition room)
The Museu de la Música will be opening a week later, on Tuesday 9 June, coinciding with the rest of services at L’Auditori, while the Museu de Ciències Naturals and the Jardí Botànic, also classified as science and technology museums, will have to wait until stage two of the lockdown exit process is implemented.
Museums will be offering new opening times and a 50% discount on admission prices until 30 June to help people return to cultural facilities. The new opening times are from 3 pm to 9 pm, and at weekends the usual hours will be 10 am to 7 pm on Saturdays and 10 am to 8 pm on Sundays.
Libraries
Activity resumes at ten city libraries on Tuesday 2 June, one for each district. Access to facilities will not be allowed, but users will be able to return items to outside return boxes and to reserve and pick up items with an appointment as from 3 June. The ten libraries will have the same opening hours: from Monday to Wednesday, from 2.30 pm to 7.30 pm, and from Thursday to Saturday, from 9.30 am to 2 pm. The libraries which will be open are:
- Ciutat Vella: Biblioteca Sant Pau – Santa Creu
- L’Eixample: Biblioteca Joan Miró
- L’Eixample: Biblioteca Sagrada Família – Josep M. Ainaud de Lasarte
- Sants-Montjuïc: Biblioteca Vapor Vell
- Les Corts: Biblioteca Montserrat Abelló
- Gràcia: Biblioteca Jaume Fuster
- Horta-Guinardó: Biblioteca Guinardó – Mercè Rodoreda
- Nou Barris: Biblioteca Nou Barris
- Sant Andreu: Biblioteca Ignasi Iglésias – Can Fabra
- Sant Martí: Biblioteca Poblenou – Manuel Arranz
The rest of the city’s libraries will be re-opened gradually.
Exhibition rooms
As from Tuesday, La Capella and La Virreina Centre de la Imatge will be opening during their usual hours, while the Centre d’Art Contemporani will be temporarily changing its opening times to be able to open some afternoons: from Tuesday to Friday, from 4 pm to 9 pm. The rest of its opening times remain unchanged: Saturdays from 12 noon to 8 pm, Sundays and public holidays from 11 am to 3 pm.
Given the exceptional situation, users are advised to check the website of each museum and exhibition hall to find out about any possible changes that may apply during the lockdown exit process and to know which areas and works cannot be visited for safety reasons.
Safe spaces
New safety measures have been implemented to ensure maximum safety for staff and visitors at all facilities which re-open:
- Controlled access, up to a maximum of a third of the usual capacity.
- More cleaning and disinfection shifts.
- Obligatory use of face masks and no touching of display cabinets allowed.
- Safety distances between people to be respected.
- No group activities or cultural activities.
- Removal of interactive resources, touch-sensitive screens and information leaflets in different rooms.
- Protective elements installed, such as screens and safety distance indicators in queuing areas and at counters for face-to-face services.
