Museums & exhibition centres
On 13th February 1937, Barcelona was subjected to the first of the 192 bombing raids by Franco’s army. This attack made the civilian population the unwitting protagonists of the war. The Passive Defence Board was set up in order to tackle the situation and save the lives of the local residents. The first shelters were set up in the basements of houses and in metro stations. However, as the bombings intensified, people joined together to build air-raid shelters.
The CCCB, which is housed in the former workhouse building, the
Casa de la Caritat, is one of the major infrastructures from the 1990s. All its activities focus on the theme of the city and urban phenomena, analysed from every point of view and cultural discipline.
CaixaForum, the Museum and Cultural Centre of “La Caixa” Community Projects, is housed in one of Barcelona’s landmark buildings, the Casaramona textile mill, a jewel of industrial modernista architecture designed by
Josep Puig i Cadafalch.
The Centre Arts Santa Mònica is housed in the former convent of Santa Mònica (18th century). It stands close to the sea on an unbeatable site: La Rambla.
The Casa Milà, popularly known as La Pedrera (Catalan for stone quarry), is a unique building designed by the architectural genius Antoni Gaudí and represents the pinnacle of his achievements. The building was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984 and is currently the headquarters of the Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera.
