Palau Nacional, Barcelona, Spain (with Map & Photos)

Palau Nacional Barcelona Spain


The Palau Nacional in Barcelona is one of the most important attractions in the city and one of the main architectural monuments in the whole of Spain.

The Palace may at first look like an old and majestic building. The large building that houses the National Art Museum of Catalonia was only built in 1929 for the International Exhibition.

Palau Nacional Barcelona Spain 2
Palau Nacional Barcelona Spain

This museum has one of the best collections of Romanesque art in the world. The museum also houses an extensive collection of Catalan paintings from the Gothic period and later.

Some distance from Plaza de España, above the territory of the Exhibition Center, at the top of a wide flight of stairs stands a huge Palau Nacional, vaulted and somewhat architecturally embellished, where the Museum of Catalan Art has been located since 1934. The Palau Nacional, originally built for the 1929 World's Fair, was renovated by Italian architect Gae Aulenti.

Palau Nacional Barcelona Sapain 3
Palau Nacional Barcelona Spain

On the way to the Palau Nacional, you will see the Magic Fountain. From June to September, it is a magnificent show of light, water and music.

The Museo d'Artes de Catalunya, with its remarkable collections spanning all periods of Catalan art history , is one of those unmissable places in Barcelona.

Palau Nacional Barcelona Spain 4
Palau Nacional Barcelona Spain

In the design of the Palau Nacional's Gothic art section (14th and 15th centuries), the emphasis is more on systematics than on chronology. The content of their collections is not limited to the territory of Catalonia, but also includes works created in other regions of Spain. The exhibition features wood and stone sculptures as well as altar decorations, including a huge 14th century altar dedicated to the Virgin Mary by members of the Serra artist family who worked in Barcelona between 1357 and 1405.

Palau Nacional Barcelona Spain 5
Palau Nacional Barcelona Spain

Renaissance and Baroque Art Section: This relatively small section contains artifacts from other regions of Spain, as well as Spanish Holland.

Romanesque Art Section. Particularly impressive is the Romanesque Art Section (11th-18th centuries). Here you can see magnificent frescoes from many of the churches in the Pyrenees region of Catalonia. To this end, the vaulted ceilings and apses of the original buildings were accurately reproduced, where the original images were placed, while exact copies of the originals were placed in the churches from which they were taken. The exhibitions are complemented with photographs, plans and drawings of churches.

In particular, the hall stands out, where the apses of Burgal and Santa Maria d'Aneu are located, facing each other. It is also worth seeing the frescoes by Taulla and the nave of the local church of Santa Maria, presented here in full. Pay attention to the objects used in liturgies, altar decorations, support columns and sculptures.

Palau Nacional Map