Site under renovation
The Archaeological Museum of Tarraco has an exceptional collection from the Roman period. It reflects the historical and monumental importance of the Roman town of Tarraco and the archaeological sites in its surrounding area.
In 1845, the museum passed into public hands under the Provincial Commission of Monuments and, in 1852, the first catalogue of exhibits was published.
The collection was constituted during the 19th century, based mainly on finds made during public and private urban development projects, on chance finds and on contributions from private citizens.
This trend would change substantially with Joan Serra i Vilaró’s methodical excavations in the Colonial Forum and the Necropolis of Tarraco (1926-1933).
From 1978 and especially since the Archaeology Service of the Catalan Regional Government was set up in 1981, archaeological excavations have been practically the sole source of additions to the museum’s collections.
In 1960, the Archaeological Museum in the Plaça del Rei was opened. Its new home was purpose-built to exhibit the exceptional collections from Roman Tarraco that the museum had been assembling since the 19th century and that had previously been displayed in its various provisional facilities.
The building was designed by I Francesc Monravà Soler, an architect from Tarragona, who was inspired by classical aesthetics for his project. He even traveled to England to learn about the designs of other museums and aspects such as lighting or the rooms for the collection.
In the basement of the new building there was a preserved stretch of the Roman walls and the museum also had offices, a store room and a library. The rooms on its two floors were expressly designed to display the mosaics and other finds from the city’s large Roman buildings: the theatre, the provincial and colonial forums, the amphitheatre and the circus. The visit was organised by thematic areas and included objects of daily life and, on the second floor, sculptures.
In 1987, the museum’s technical services were transferred to a new building next to the Necropolis. This allowed the exhibition areas to be expanded and a new temporary exhibition room to be opened. In 1993, the museum underwent a wide-ranging museographic reform and its accessibility was improved.
In 2018, the renovation project for the Archaeological museum of Tarraco was launched, with the aim of carrying out a comprehensive renovation of the building and opting for a new permanent exhibition that is more attractive and accessible for visitors.
The first action was the renovation of the building located at plaça del Rei, based on a project by Soffito Arquitectura S.L.P. In total, the Ministry of Culture has invested 4.4 million in a complete modernisation of the services and an architectural restoration of the building, declared a Cultural Asset of Local Interest (BCIL).
During the first phase, started in 2019, the building has been equipped with new air conditioning and insulation, the interior lighting has been completely renovated, the electrical installation has been improved, a new double-entry lift has been installed, the assembly hall has been renovated and accessibility has been enabled.
The second phase of the works was carried out between 2023 and 2024 on the façade and cornices of the building, which have undergone a comprehensive renovation and have allowed to recover elements such as the inscriptions on both façades.
The museum's renovation work meant the closure of the building to the public, as well as the transfer of most of the collection. Only the Mosaic of the Fish has been kept inside the building at plaça del Rei.
The project for the transfer of the collection on display, which affected a total of 1,095 pieces, was drawn up by the teams of the MNAT and the Centre de Restauració de Béns Mobles de Catalunya (CRBMC) as a preventive conservation, dismantling and transfer project.
A prior requirement was the review and conditioning of the museum's warehouses to allow the location of such a large number of pieces, as well as the preparation of the documentation relating to each of them. The other, and more important, was the definition of work protocols to guarantee the registration of the collection and the coordination of the teams.
Since then, the MNAT has promoted an ambitious restoration campaign for the collection that will be exhibited in the new Archaeological Museum of Tarraco with a total investment, until 2024, of 1.1 million euros by the Catalan government and the Ministry of Culture.
Among other actions, the Mosaic of the Fish has been restored on site as well as the remains of the wall of the underground floor. Works have also been carried out on the epigraphic collection, as well as the Mosaic of the Medusa, the opus sectile pavement and several batches of metal and glass pieces. Throughout the process, the MNAT has had the advice of both the CRBMC and the Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute (IPCE).
The future Archaeological Museum of Tarraco aims to be the reference space for understanding the Roman heritage in Catalonia. To this end, it will have a new permanent exhibition that will completely transform the visitors' experience. The museographic project is based on a concept developed by the MNAT and designed by the companies Ámbito Cero and Stoa.
The new exhibition, despite being based on technological means, will give the main focus to the MNAT collection. The objective is to rely on those resources that make heritage more accessible and facilitate greater connection and understanding with the public.
The exhibition will occupy a total of 2,500 square meters and will include nearly a thousand pieces, some of which will be displayed in rooms for the first time. The presentation of the collection emphasizes archaeology as a tool to tell the history of Tarraco from different perspectives, from the most institutional to that of everyday life.
The new museography is also born with the desire to maintain a dialogue with the other spaces that are also part of the archaeological complex of Tarraco, and all of them recognised as World Heritage by UNESCO.
The execution of the museographic project will entail an investment of 3.7 million euros by the Ministry of Culture. The Catalan Cultural Heritage Agency started the tendering procedure in January 2025 and it is expected that the works can begin during the second half of 2025.
We are workig on the renovation and refurbishing of the Archaeological Museum.
Meanwhile, you will be able to peruse a selection of our best pieces at the Tinglado 4 (Shed 4) in the Port of Tarragona, at the exhibition TARRACO/MNAT.
