Fabra i Coats – Museu d’Història de Barcelona is an industrial heritage museum housed in a former 19th-century textile factory. Its vast halls show how labour and industry shaped contemporary Barcelona. One of the great symbols of the city’s industrial past, the complex lets you explore original spaces and access archives that put a human face on workers’ history. The permanent exhibitions, Barcelona, ciutat i treball and La Fabra i Coats de Sant Andreu, trace the links between industrial production, everyday life and urban change. A key place for understanding where Barcelona comes from and how it continues to evolve.
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Around 1,500 people worked at the factory, 80% of whom were women, making it a key site for the memory of working women.
The centre preserves more than 4,000 items, including machinery, documents and everyday objects, offering a direct way of understanding the factory’s material legacy.
Today, the site brings together memory and contemporary creation. Alongside the museum, it also hosts a space for current artistic practice, keeping its working character alive.
