Historic building in Catalonia, Spain Barcelona Royal Shipyard Aerial view of the building Location of Barcelona Royal Shipyard within Barcelona. General information Type| Historic building Architectural style| Gothic Location| Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain Coordinates| 41°22′30″N 2°10′35″E / 41.375°N 2.1763°E / 41.375; 2.1763Coordinates: 41°22′30″N 2°10′35″E / 41.375°N 2.1763°E / 41.375; 2.1763 Construction started| 13th century Completed| 14th century Renovated| 17th-18th centuries The Barcelona Royal Shipyard (Catalan: Drassanes Reials de Barcelona, Spanish: Atarazanas Reales de Barcelona) is a shipyard and former military building of Gothic architecture placed at the Port Vell area of the Port of Barcelona. Nowadays it houses the Barcelona Maritime Museum. Construction started during the 13th century under the rule of Peter III of Aragon. During excavations in 2012[1][2][3] it was discovered that in the late 16th century a new building was constructed on top of the old medieval dockyard, giving the building its current structure. This excavations also uncovered a Roman graveyard. The shipyard's restoration was finished in early 2013. The museum was reopened in 2014. ## History[edit] Barcelona c. 1700, with the shipyard at the lower left corner of the city The construction of the dockyards was done in several stages, spanning over four centuries: * 13th century: There is reference to an old shipyard in a document dated 1241, when James I of Aragon ordered that no house or structure should be built on the coastline between the city walls and "the ataszana,[spelling?] which is to the west”. * 13th century: This period of construction started with the War of the Sicilian Vespers. In 1285, Peter III of Aragon ordered the construction of the shipyard, a rectangular fortification with no roof consisting of fortified walls and four towers, of which two still exist. The shipyard opened to the east. * 14th century: This expansion comprises the period from 1328 to 1390. The city walls were expanded and included the shipyard inside the fortified city. A roof was added to prevent the degradation of the galleys stored during winter. * 15th century: Construction started in 1390 and lasted until 1415. A new area, Porxo No, was added to the building. This part of the shipyard is also known as Pere IV The area was meant to be a royal palace, but the idea was finally discarded. Excavation shows that only the foundations for the palace were built. * 16th century: The medieval building was replaced by a new dockyard a few meters inland. The new shipyards continue to use Gothic architecture, since it had proven to be the most practical and reliable at the time, This decision, however, managed to confuse historians trying to date the building. The construction of the new dockyards and the move inland was caused by the construction of the city's port during the 15th century. The new port had changed the currents and moved the shore inland, causing severe flooding in the old medieval building. * 17th century: In 1612, the Catalan government decided to add three naves to the building. Following the Catalan Revolt (1640–1652) the Spanish government further amplified the shipyard both as an arsenal and a barracks. * 18th century: In 1725, Two more barracks were constructed, one for cavalry and one for infantry. These barracks were torn down in 1935. The last major update came between 1742 and 1749, when the roofs of the two central naves were converted into a single nave, known as Nau Central. From the beginning, the aim of the shipyard was to build the galleys for the Aragonese Armada. The shipyard was also a naval arsenal, which was used to store galleys and all the rigging and apparatus needed. The arsenal also produced a great deal of material, both sails and cordages for the ships and arms for the men. Naval arsenals of the time, normally, had to produce and store food also. After the 1381 renovation, the building had eight naves, 8.4 m high and 8.4 m wide. The naves were, approximately, 60 m long, consisting of 17 columns 77 cm wide and 6 m high. Thanks to a written record of the time we know that four new storage areas were built. Ashlar from the nearby mountain of Montjuïc was used for the construction, with sand from the beach in front of the shipyard, wood from the Baix Ebre and Gavarres, and ropes and tiles from Valencia. During the rule of Alfonso V of Aragon, the shipyard experienced its highest activity. In 1423, twelve galleys were built simultaneously. In 1571, the royal galley of John of Austria, commonly known as the Real, was built at the shipyard. This galley was the flagship at the Battle of Lepanto. There is a reproduction of this galley at the Barcelona Maritime Museum. Reproduction of the royal galley of John of Austria at the Barcelona Maritime Museum During the 18th century, the shipbuilding was moved to the Cartagena shipyard, and after the War of Spanish Succession the site was used as an artillery barrack for the Spanish Army. The building was used to build, store, and repair artillery pieces. In 1935, the building was given to the Barcelona city hall who decide to use it as a maritime museum, which opened in 1941. On 5 May 1976, the building was declared a Cultural Site of National Interest.[4] ## Metro[edit] The closest subway/tube station is Drassanes, which is the Catalan word for shipyard, in the line of the Barcelona Metro network. ## See also[edit] * Catalan Gothic ## References[edit] 1. ^ López Ruiz, Ángeles (1 March 2012). "Unes obres a les Drassanes Reials permeten datar l'edifici". Betevé (in Catalan). Retrieved 8 April 2020. 2. ^ Frisach, Montse (2 March 2012). "Drassanes més joves". El Punt Avui (in Catalan). Retrieved 8 April 2020. 3. ^ Comorera, Ramón (2 March 2012). "Les naus de les Drassanes es van construir després del gòtic". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Catalan). Grupo Zeta. Retrieved 8 April 2020. 4. ^ Bonet, Llorenç (2004). Guía de arquitectura de Barcelona. Asppan. ISBN 8496241645. ## Bibliography[edit] * Volum 3 (1998), Art de Catalunya, Urbanisme, arquitectura civil i industrial, Barcelona, Edicions L'isard. ISBN 84-89931-04-6 * Volum III (2003), L'Art Gòtic a Catalunya, Arquitectura III, Barcelona, Enciclopèdia Catalana. ISBN 84-412-0887-5 * Volum 7 (2004), La Gran Enciclopèdia en català, Barcelona, Edicions 62. ISBN 84-297-5435-0 ## External links[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Drassanes Reials de Barcelona. * Restoration of the Drassanes Reials (in Catalan and Spanish) * v * t * e Barcelona landmarks Beaches| * Barceloneta * Sant Sebastià * Somorrostro Buildings and structures| * Ancient synagogue * Arc de Triomf * Arenas de Barcelona * Avinguda Diagonal * Barcelona Cathedral * Barcelona Pavilion * Barcelona Royal Shipyard * Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy * Basilica of Saint Joseph Oriol * Basilica of Saints Justus and Pastor * Basilica of the Immaculate Conception * Bellesguard * Casa Amatller * Casa Batlló * Casa Bonaventura Ferrer * Casa Bonet * Casa Calvet * Casa de les Punxes * Casa Lleó Morera * Casa Martí * Casa Milà * Casa Vicens * Castle of the Three Dragons * City Hall * Columbus Monument * Diagonal Zero Zero * Dona i Ocell * Els Quatre Gats * Estació de França * Fabra Observatory * Font de Canaletes * Forum Building * Fossar de les Moreres * Hospital de Sant Pau * Hotel Arts * Hotel Melia Barcelona Sky * La Boqueria * La Monumental * Library of Catalonia * Magic Fountain of Montjuïc * Mercat del Born * Monastery of Pedralbes * Montjuïc Castle * Montjuïc Communications Tower * Old Hospital de la Santa Creu * Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya * Palau del Parlament de Catalunya * Palau Güell * Palau Nacional * Palau Reial de Pedralbes * Palau Reial Major * Palau Robert * Poble Espanyol * Port Olímpic * Port Vell * Sagrada Família * Santa Maria del Mar * Santa Maria del Pi * Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor * Torre de Collserola * Torre Glòries * Venetian Towers * Virreina Palace * World Trade Center Barcelona Museums| * Archaeology Museum of Catalonia * Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art * CaixaForum Barcelona * Can Framis Museum * Centre d'Art Santa Mònica * Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona * CosmoCaixa Barcelona * FC Barcelona Museum * Fundació Antoni Tàpies * Fundació Joan Miró * Gabinet de les Arts Gràfiques * Gaudí House Museum * Jardí Botànic de Barcelona * Juan Antonio Samaranch Olympic and Sports Museum * Maritime Museum * Museu Barbier-Mueller d'Art Precolombí * Museu de la Música * Museu de la Xocolata * Museu de les Arts Decoratives * Museu Frederic Marès * Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya * Museu Picasso * Museu Tèxtil i d'Indumentària * Museum of the History of Barcelona * Museum of the History of Catalonia * Perfume Museum * Vil·la Joana Performing arts| * L'Auditori * Coliseum * Festival Grec de Barcelona * Gran Teatre del Liceu * Palau de la Música Catalana * Teatre Lliure * Teatre Nacional de Catalunya * Teatre Principal Parks and gardens| * Catalunya en Miniatura * Mossèn Costa i Llobera Gardens * Oreneta Park * Parc de la Ciutadella * Parc de la Creueta del Coll * Park Güell * Parc Joan Miró * Parc del Laberint d'Horta Streets and squares| * Avinguda Diagonal * Avinguda Meridiana * Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes * La Rambla * Passeig de Gràcia * Plaça d'Espanya * Plaça d'Ildefons Cerdà * Plaça de Catalunya * Plaça de Francesc Macià * Plaça del Rei * Plaça Reial * Plaça Sant Jaume * Rambla de Catalunya Sports venues| * Anella Olímpica * Camp de Les Corts * Camp Municipal Narcís Sala * Camp Nou * Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys * Mini Estadi * Palau Blaugrana * Palau dels Esports * Palau Sant Jordi * Sarrià Stadium Zoos| * Aquarium Barcelona * Barcelona Zoo Authority control International| * VIAF * WorldCat Identities National| * Spain * Germany *[v]: View this template *[t]: Discuss this template *[e]: Edit this template