Barcelona’s getting a new museum early next year. The Museum of Work will open at Fabra i Coats in Sant Andreu during the first quarter of 2026. It’s been a long time coming.
The project was first planned nearly a decade ago. Initially scheduled for 2019, it got pushed back to 2023, then 2025. Now, Institut de Cultura de Barcelona confirms it’ll finally open early 2026. That’s assuming no more delays.
The museum will operate under the Museu d’Història de Barcelona, which runs 18 sites across the city. Director Carles García Hermosilla says it’ll be unique. The focus is on workers’ struggles and the value of all jobs. Industry, workshops, offices, domestic work. Everything gets recognised.
Moreover, the museum will house collections from the old factory preserved by Amics de la Fabra de Coats. Complex restoration work started in 2022 but expanded in 2023. Workers had to remove asbestos, preserve the architecture and improve energy efficiency. However, restoring 6,000 objects took longer than expected.
Only a fraction will appear in the permanent exhibition. The rest will rotate through temporary shows or sit in storage. Special viewing days will allow access to these archived pieces.
Visitors will explore how work has changed over centuries. The collection includes pieces from various trades representing modern city life. There’s a Maria Montessori bust sculpted by Eusebi Arnau and a dental hygiene cabinet. Both come from a rarely exhibited historical school collection.
A special section highlights machinery from the district’s 20th-century factories. Coats Fabra Sant Andreu, La Maquinista, Mercedes-Benz Bon Pastor and Pegaso Sagrera all get representation. Former workers saved most of this heritage themselves. They organised associations and fought for this memorial space.
The Boiler Room opened to the public in 2015 as a preview. The factory ran from 1903 to 2005. Property company Renta Corporación quickly bought it, then sold to Barcelona City Council for 50 million euros shortly after.
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