Culture
Culture and heritage in the Maresme
An interesting cultural heritage awaits for you in the Maresme. A large number of museums and cultural routes will allow you to discover our legacy. Come and follow the the imprint of the civilization starting from the Neolithic times, through the Iberian and Roman period, or the interesting Modernist and “Indianos” heritage, among others.
Enjoy an impressive calendar full of cultural events, with about 40 music festivals, craft, historical and gastronomic markets and fairs... Come and experience our living culture: giants, human towrs, sardanes, bobbin lace...
Museums
The active history of Maresme's towns has resulted in a large number of museums, some of which are devoted to unusual and curious specialties, such as the Museu del Càntir in Argentona (ceramic water jugs) or the Museu Marès de la Punta in Arenys de Mar (lace making).
Some of the area museums are located in buildings of great architectural interest, such as the Museu Municipal d'Estampació Tèxtil of Premià de Mar (textile printing museum), which occupies the Modernist building of the old gas factory.
Modernism
Modernism, or art nouveau, is a cultural movement that takes place between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century in Europe. Its main form of expression was the Modernista architecture but it also extended to many other arts such as painting, sculpture or decorative arts.
Architects and artists as famous as Antoni Gaudí, Josep Puig i Cadafalch or Lluís Domènech i Montaner were born or linked somehow to the Maresme and designed some of the best known modernist buildings in the region.
Castles and watchtowers
The vast majority of castles and watchtowers in the Maresme were built in the 16th and 17th centuries. These towers had several functions, for example as watchtowers and also as defensive elements for the territory. At that time there were frequent attacks from barbarian pirates and corsairs, as well as the never-desired presence of bandits and assailants on the roads.
The Spanish Civil War
Get to know the most recent history through the Spanish Civil War routes in the Maresme, where you will be able to see machine gun nests, coastal batteries, anti-aircraft shelters and other elements that have survived over time.
Archeological sites
We suggest a journey that will take you back in time more than 2,000 years. Come and discover the Iberian and Roman heritage in the Maresme: Laietania. Visiting archeological sites and museums you will discover how our ancestors once lived.
