Barcelona

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Museu d’Història de Catalunya

Plaça Pau Vila 3

Located in a lavishly converted 19th-century port warehouse, the Museum of Catalan History’s compass runs from the Paleolithic era right up to Jordi Pujol’s proclamation as President of the Generalitat in 1980. With very little in the way of original artefacts, it is more a virtual chronology of the region’s past revealed through two floors of text, photos, film, animated models and reproductions of everything from a medieval shoemaker’s shop to a 1960s bar. Hands-on activities such as trying to lift a knight’s armour or irrigating lettuces with a Moorish water wheel add a little pzazz to the rather dry displays. Every section has a decent introduction in English, but the reception desk will also lend copies of the more detailed museum guide. Upstairs is a café with terrace and an unbeatable view.

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