Trip #1: Museo de Historia de la Ciutat de Barcelona

Alex Verch

Trip #1: Museo de Historia de la Ciutat de Barcelona

Date: January 20^th. 2011

            For our first field trip we met outside of the Cathedral, which is located in the Gothic Area. Once everyone arrived we then continued on to the Museo de Historia de la Ciutat de Barcelona. Prior to actually going inside the museum we were able to see the Roman ruins. This was very significant to our class because we had been learning about the Romans’ influence on Barcelona, the architecture, and the history of the Romans. These ruins can be viewed by the public prior to entering the museum.

I was very interested in seeing how the apartments were set up. There were many stairs leading up to the buildings. The richer families lived on the first few floors since there were no elevators. The bottoms floors had bigger windows and flowers on the windowsills. We also saw paintings and carvings dating back to ancient Roman times.

            Once we were inside the museum the first thing we did was watch a short film on Barcelona history. Then we walked around the museum admiring the different exhibits that offered a wealth of knowledge about the history of Barcelona. We saw a collection of the pots and pans that the Romans used in every day life. We also learned about how the Romans made wine, which was a major part of their culture. Also, since they didn’t have dryers back in Roman times the woman hung their clothes out on a line to dry, like many people do today as well. Another aspect of Roman culture we took away from the museum was the public baths. The museum displayed a lot of pottery, eating utensils, and other artwork all made out of molded clay.

            I really enjoyed the museum trip because it allowed me to take everything I read in our textbook about Roman Barcelona and actually see a replica of what it was like during this time period. Also, the trip allowed me to explore an area of Barcelona I had never visited before. I had never seen the Cathedral up close or walked around the Gothic area until our class trip. While in the area I noticed many restaurants, shops, and a flea market that I may not have stumbled upon if it were not for this class.