The Museu dels Autòmats del Tibidabo is a historic centre dedicated to preserving and exhibiting working automata and mechanical figures. Situated at the summit of Tibidabo, the museum forms part of the amusement park and houses pieces created between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Dolls, models, and animated scenes, all meticulously restored, reveal the technical and artistic ingenuity of a bygone era. Here, fantasy is powered by springs and gears, with each mechanism continuing to operate as it did over a century ago.
This is good to know
- Many automata used to be the stars of travelling fairs and European cabarets, and their repetitive movements have inspired contemporary artists.
- Officially opened in 1982, the museum preserves pieces dating back to 1901. "El Payaso Mandolinista" (The Mandolin Clown) (1880) is one of the oldest in the collection.
