Museo de Historia de Barcelona

The Museo de Historia de Barcelona (MUHBA) is Barcelona’s municipal history museum with its principal complex located at Plaça del Rei in the Barri Gòtic. The museum interprets the city’s development from the Roman period through the medieval and modern eras and preserves archaeological remains in situ.

Highlights at the main site include the exposed underground ruins of the Roman city of Barcino, medieval palatial buildings such as the Palau Reial Major, and the relocated Casa Padellàs, which houses period rooms and exhibits. The museum operates multiple city sites and displays that together cover archaeological layers, civic history, and urban development.

MUHBA grew to gather and present Barcelona’s archaeological and documentary record, conserving in-place Roman and medieval structures and assembling exhibitions about the city’s past. Its mission is municipal historical interpretation rather than a single-period antiquities display.

The museum’s principal complex sits in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter (Barri Gòtic), adjacent to Plaça del Rei and within walking distance of central landmarks such as Plaça Sant Jaume and La Rambla.

• Roman archaeology: The main site in the Gothic Quarter includes exposed archaeological layers of Roman Barcino beneath the medieval streets, with accessible underground passages and displays.
• Viewing point: A rooftop terrace at the Plaça del Rei complex provides direct views over the Gothic Quarter and museum courtyards.

What to See #

• Plaça del Rei (main site): The main complex at Plaça del Rei houses extensive underground Roman remains of the ancient city of Barcino together with medieval palatial structures and a small archaeological display.
• Temple of Augustus: The Temple of Augustus preserves several standing Roman columns and carved fragments from Barcino, visible in the Gothic quarter.
• Casa Padellàs: Casa Padellàs is a relocated late-medieval/early-modern townhouse that contains period rooms and rotating historical exhibits.