Barcelona Guide
Barri Gòtic
Museu d'Història de la Ciutat
Address: Plaça del Rei
Opening time: April– Sept Tues– Sat 10am–8pm, Sun & hols 10am–3pm; Oct– March Tues– Sat 10am–2pm & 4–8pm, Sun & hols 10am–3pm
Price: €6, includes entry to the monastery at Pedralbes and the interpretation centre at Parc Güell
Telephone: 933 151 111
Website: www.museuhistoria.bcn.cat
The crucial draw of the splendid city history museum, the Museu d'Història de la Ciutatde Barcelona (MHCB), is its underground archeological section – nothing less than the extensive remains of the Roman city of Barcino. Descending in the lift (the floor indicator shows "12 BC"), you are deposited onto walkways running through excavations that extend for 4000 square metres, stretching under Plaça del Rei and the surrounding streets as far as the cathedral.
The remains date from the first century BC to the sixth century AD and reflect the transition from Roman to Visigothic rule – at the end of the sixth century, a church was erected on top of the old Roman salt-fish factory, the foundations of which are preserved down here almost in its entirety. Not much survives above chest height, but explanatory diagrams show the extent of the streets, walls and buildings – from lookout towers to laundries – while models, mosaics, murals and displays of excavated goods help flesh out the reality of daily life in Barcino.