things to do

Journey to the past

The Calella Archive Museum, Josep M. Codina i Bagué, located in the historic centre of the Maresme Region, researches, preserves and disseminates the city's historical and artistic heritage. The museum is located in a large 17th century house, connected by a large courtyard which leads to the Municipal Archives.

The initiative of the citizens

The Josep M. Codina I Bagué Municipal Archive Museum of Calella was founded in June 1959 on the initiative of a group of citizens of Calella who were concerned about the city's heritage. In 1961, it was equipped with a small warehouse and internal rules and regulations, but the lack of institutional support prevented its development. In 1978, work began on the partial conditioning of the ground floor of the current building and in December of the following year the first two halls were opened to the public. The museum building is a large three-storey house, built in the 17th century, whose facade stands out, with a half-point domed portal and windows with straight lintels, jambs and stone sills, without ornamentation. At the top part of the building you can see the corbels of a barbican that has now disappeared.
From 1979, the qualitative and quantitative growth of the museum and its collections has been constant, thanks to public collaboration and it has become the fundamental institution in the management and conservation of the cities local heritage.
The collections are mostly made up of objects related to science and technology, especially linked to the manufacture of knitted goods and artistic objects. There are also elements of decorative arts and archaeological materials as a result of excavations carried out in the Roman villa of the municipality.
The permanent exhibition of the museum deals with the history of Calella and the Maresme. On the first floor there is a room for temporary exhibitions.
 
Collections and contents

On the ground floor, there is an area intended especially for school trips, where minerals, fossils and archaeological materials found in the town are displayed. Among them are the Roman amphorae vessels, some of which were locally made, ointment jars, a lead stem from a Roman anchor, a millstone and a collection of loom weights, which refer to the first precedent of textile activity of the population. Adjacent is a small room with a display of popular ceramic pottery and tiles from the 18th to 20th centuries.

The textile past

To the left of the entrance there are two rooms that display a set of textile machinery and samples of knitting, an activity that gave Calella great popularity between 1767, when the first loom arrived and the civil war. The local product par excellence was silk and cotton stockings.
The visit continues through a room dedicated to remembering traditional trades and their tools, grouped by professions in large display cases and complemented by informative panels.

Overseas trade

The next room contains documentation related to trade between the city and the overseas colonies. These commercial contacts were very important from the last third of the 18th century, until the loss of the colonies. Also they were accompanied by an important shipbuilding industry. From 1854, large ships and fishing boats were built in Calella.

A modernist pharmacy

On the second floor, the Calella Barri pharmacy is well preserved, in a modernist style with contributions from older elements from the Tió pharmacy. Please note the white and gold furniture, floral decoration and arched windows where are displayed the original medicine jars and laboratory material.

The lacework

The last hall is dedicated to the exhibition of a sample of dresses, clothes and embroideries, as well as lace produced by local lace makers, which achieved great fame from the 18th century. Almost all the women in the city were engaged in this activity.