Casa Museu Castellarnau — Attraction in Tarragona

The Castellarnau House was built at the start of the XV century. Up to the end of the XIX century, it was the residence of some of the most influential families in the city. Emperor Charles I lived here during his stay in Tarragona in 1542. Charles of Castellarnau bought it half-way through the XVIlL century and it stayed in the family until, in 1954. it became municipal property.

The interior of the house has architect- structures from various periods. On the ground floor we can see a series of pointed arcs dated from the XIV and XV centuries. The patio and spiral staircase with columns and Gothic capitols are from the same period. The building was acquired by Charles of Castellarnau during the XVIII century and important changes to the façade and interior distribution were made.

The noble floor has rooms with furniture from the XVIll and XIX centuries. The most emblematic area is the ballroom, with roof paintings depicting mythological themes done by Provencal painter Josep Bernat Flaugier at the end of the XVIII century. An old kitchen has been restored on the ground floor.

There is also a permanent sample of the Molas i Agramunt collection, a heterogenic set of archaeological and ethnographic pieces that cover a wide chronological period; the Quintana inheritance, where we can see a model of the first aeroplane to fly over the...

It's a very strange museum. There's absolutely no story behind it. Inside you will find a couple of nice pieces of furniture, a couple of paintings and the shelves full of chemical bottles, but you won't find any hint at how this all works together: the objects are not attributed in any way, people on portraits and their authors remain unknown, there's no connection to the family which owned all that (who they were and why they decided to preserve the house also remains in darkness). This collection of objects costs 5 Euro. That's not much, but the visit itself is utterly senseless,...

This was included in a package ticket we bought for 15€ per person. I dont think we would visit here if it was part of the package. It is beautiful to see the house set up and the chandeliers upstairs are phenomenal. The tile flooring is beautiful. Staff super friendly. Toilets downstairs in the basement smelt funny. The whole house had a musty smell but to be expected. I think an interactive tour would be better than us wandering around. Would be nice to learn the history of the house and the use of the house or earphones in different languages....