Since its creation, preserving original vessels has been one of the missions of the Maritime Museum of Barcelona. Currently, the Museum holds 85 crafts that mostly reflect the maritime culture and history of Catalonia.
Most of these vessels are kept out of the water; once taken from the sea or river, they are left as testaments to their past mercantile, fishing or recreational activity. However, the Museum also has 10 fully operational vessels that are ready to sail. They make up a veritable museum fleet and are kept in different spaces in Barcelona’s Old Port. These vessels participate in citizen and educational activities with help from professionals and volunteers. They can be visited, and they help keep alive traditional or recreational sailing and the memory of seafarers.
One notable example is the Royal Galley, a full-size replica of a 16th-century galley built at the Museum in the 1960s as a reproduction based on historical research. Although it has never sailed and is not an original, its spectacular nature and the historical hypothesis it represents make it one of the stars of our collection.
