What to do and see in Vilanova i la Geltru, Catalonia: The Best Museums

El Museo del Ferrocarril de Cataluña que se encuentra en Vilanova i la Geltrú es un valioso equipamiento patrimonial dedicado al mundo ferroviario y al servicio de las personas. Desde prácticamente su constitución en el año 1990 está gestionado por un organismo cultural del sector público, la Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles, creada para la recuperación, custodia, divulgación y transmisión del patrimonio histórico del ferrocarril. Actualmente en su Patronato están representadas las principales empresas del sector ferroviario del Estado. A su vez también forma parte del Sistema Territorial de museos del Museo Nacional de Ciencia y Técnica de Cataluña y de la red de Museos de Vilanova.

Can Papiol is a house-museum that evokes the daily life of a wealthy 19th century family through the ambiance of its rooms, which are decorated with original furniture and ornaments of their period. It was inaugurated as a museum in 1961. The most sumptuous part of the house is the main floor, which rooms preserve the richness of the refined taste of the 19th century; the music room, the billiard room and the large ballroom, are some of the most interesting and luxurious. The tour resumes through the rooms of the servants, the farming area and the garden. *All visits are guided. It is recommended to make a prior reservation on the website.

Founded in 1884 by Victor Balaguer, a Catalan politician and writer, the Biblioteca Museu Victor Balaguer is one of Catalonia’s oldest and most singular museums. Its galleries show an exceptional trajectory through the different artistic movements of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th century, from Romanticism to Noucentisme. The important legacy in contemporary art also stands out, with a relevant section of Informalism Art. The painting section is completed with a permanent exhibition of approximately 25 oil paintings of the Spanish and European Baroque period, which come from the historical collection of the Prado Museum (Madrid). This section includes works of El Greco, Ribera, Goya, Rubens or Murillo. Amongst the ethnographic collections, with objects from the Philippines, China, Japan and America, stands out the Egyptian collection, which includes a child's mummy.

The Espai Far, located in the emblematic lighthouse of Sant Cristòfol, Espai Far is a museum center that shows the rich marine heritage of Vilanova i la Geltrú. Formed by the Museum of the Sea of ​​Vilanova i la Geltrú and the Museum of Marine Curiosities Roig Toqués. Garden area with ancient anchors and the Víctor Rojas Space that houses the shipwreck rescue boat, unsinkable and with an automatic repositioning system. It was rowing and also sailing. Its twelve crew were volunteer fishermen.

The tower of Ribes Roges was built in the last third of the 19th century as a defensive element to protect the Maritime Quarter from potential attack, by sea or by land, of the troops of Carlists or bandits, and is the only survivor of the three that were on the coastline. In the year 2000 the artist Josep Guinovart (1927-2007) transformed the old watchtower of the promenade into a tribute site to seafarers and to the sea itself: at the first floor, legends and stories about the sea; at the second floor, a rope-structure with a set of fishing knots, symbol of the hard work of fishermen and sailors; at the third floor, the artists who found their inspiration in the sea; and at the roof, a view on the real sea of Vilanova i la Geltru. Opening hours 2020: from the 18h July to 13th September: every Saturday and Sunday, 6pm-9pm.