Blue Museum

BLUE MUSEUM

Description

The Museu Blau (Blue Museum) is a natural history museum located in Barcelona and that was inaugurated in 2011. It is part of the Museum of Natural Sciences situated in the Edifici Fórum (Forum Building) in the Parc del Fórum (Forum Park) which was where the Universal Forum of Cultures was held.

This museum is the embryo of the future Catalonia Museum of Natural Sciences which is anticipated to coordinate the network of museums of natural sciences within the territory. The museum opened its doors to the public on 27th March 2011 and occupies a surface of 9.000 square metres taking up two floors; the main floor develops around the lobby (free of charge) which includes spaces for temporary exhibitions and a media room entirely devoted to the world of natural sciences and oriented to children between the ages of 0-6 called the “Niu de Ciència” (Science Hub).

Furthermore it includes: rooms for extra-curricular activities and workshops as well as an auditorium. A huge section of about 1.700 square metres called “La Terra avui” (Earth today) describes the Earth’s current state and its geological and biological diversity. It displays adopting a didactical approach that sees the aid of interactive screens and showcases the museum’s fossil collection, naturalised animals, plants, algae, minerals and rocks alongside which sections dedicated to fungi and the microscopic world (for instance, virus and microbe reproduction) have been added.

Of the 3 million pieces the museum conserves, 4.500 of them are displayed to the public. The visitor can explore the history of the plane from its origins, as it runs the course of its evolution and learn more on its status quo.

Considered the museum on the whole, what most stands out is its commitment to make it accessible to the blind since most showcases are written in braille too, as well as installing chill-egg areas to listen to 24 hours of Montseny fauna noise condensed into 4 minute audio sessions.