Catalonia, small as it is, has a surprisingly large number of museums - over 300-, some with valuable collections of world-wide interest. 

On Barcelona's Montjuïc hill stands the National Museum of Art of Catalonia, partially remodelled in recent years, where you can admire the finest collection of Romanesque paintings in the world. Also on Montjuïc is the Joan Miró Foundation, a highly distinctive building in which the architect Josep Lluís Sert achieved a skilful interplay of light and space, and which houses, some remarkable examples of Miro’s work. The Museum of Modern Art, in the Ciutadella Park, contains a fine collection of 19th and 20th century Catalan paintings and sculptures. The Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, inaugurated in 1995, occupies a striking building by Richard Meier in the heart of the Raval district. The Picasso Museum, in a handsome, well restored Gothic palace on Carrer Montcada, contains interesting works by the young Picasso, as well as items from other periods donated by the artist himself, who was deeply attached to Catalonia. 

The symbolism and religious depth of Romanesque art can also be admired, alongside fine works from the Gothic period, in the diocesan museums of Vic, Girona, La Seu d’Urgell and Solsona. 

For sheer originality and extravagance, nothing can beat the museum set up by Salvador Dalí in his native town of Figueres, where you will find numerous clues to the Surrealist masters quest for the unconscious. 

In many other Catalan towns you will find small museums containing a surprising range of interesting and original collections. Only a few can be mentioned here: the Wine Museum at Vilafranca del Penedès, the Leather Museum at Igualada, the Paper Museum at Capellades, the Museum of Ceramic Pitchers at Argentona, the Lace Museum at Arenys de Mar, the Vintage Car Museum at Sils, the collections in the three museums at Sitges (the Romantic, Maricel and Cau Ferrat museums), and the world's only museum devoted to automatons on the Tibidabo hill in Barcelona. 

The Catalan people are determined to ensure that their museums are fun to visit. Museums with a more modern outlook are the Science Museum and Planetarium in Barcelona and the Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia in Terrassa.