Museum of Chocolate in Barcelona, Spain

Museum of Chocolate (Museu de la Xocolata) is a private museum in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, owned by the Gremio de Pastelería de Barcelona (the city pastry-makers’ guild). The museum opened in 2000, at Calle Comercio 36, in El Born, Ciudad Vieja, on the ground level of an old barrack.

It offers a journey through the history of chocolate, from its origins as a spicy drink of the Mesoamerican peoples to its delight as French chocolates. Many of the displays are chocolate sculptures, including various well-known Barcelona buildings, and illustrations from various stories.

Overview
The Chocolate Museum is a dynamic facility promoted by the Barcelona Pastry Guild, located in the old convent of Sant Agustí, which presents a tour of the origins of chocolate, its arrival in Europe and its diffusion as a located element. between myth and reality, between the medicinal properties and their nutritional value, which relate tradition to the future and are part of our collective imagination.

The Chocolate Museum is housed in a historic building that already had a connection with chocolate: in the 18th century, the Bourbon army was a fanatic of consuming this product, and according to ordinances, chocolate was present on the menus. of the military academies of that century: “For breakfast of each cadet and company officer there will be given an ounce and a half of chocolate with a quarter of bread…”, and when the troop was garnished in the barracks it was also usually taken chocolate. The body of alabarderos, the personal guard of the monarch, was called, with envy, “the chocolateros”, since being a pampered and elite body, he took much chocolate.

From the time of the discoveries since the 15th century, chocolate has played a role in the economic and social fabric of Barcelona. In this way, the port of Barcelona acted as a starting point for the product for marketing and distribution throughout Europe.

At the end of the 19th century, that the first workshop that transformed chocolate into a solid product was recognized.

Mission and vision
The Museum of Chocolate’s mission is to provide the community with access to knowledge of the history of this product, so that it is recognized through a policy of acquisition and reception of different materials and the diffusion of the heritage of the artistic tradition of working in chocolate, the memory of the culture and the artisanal values of the Catalan pastry shop.

The initiative of the Barcelona Pastry Guild to promote the Chocolate Museum is part of its desire to innovate and modernize the sector based on tradition. This initiative aims to achieve the following goals:

Develop a unique cultural project that promotes the dissemination of the history of quality pastry and chocolate shops;

Promote an instrument in the service of revaluing the chocolate and pastry tradition of our country.

Facilities
The Chocolate Museum is a space divided into eight different areas:

Shop-Café:
Space for tasting chocolate hot or cold, accompanied by excellent home-made pastries, and to buy the best Spanish and chocolate specialities.

Cocoa and chocolate:
The whole process is explained, from the cocoa tree seed to the point where cocoa becomes chocolate: where cocoa comes from, how it is grown, where it can be found, the existing varieties, the manufacturing process, etc.

Chocolate, a bridge between cultures:
Here you will find the history of cocoa and chocolate, from its origins in the Maya-Aztec world, including its arrival in Spain and its entry into Europe, ending with industrialisation.

Art and creation:
Chocolate as a source of inspiration for art and culture.

Confectionery and chocolate:
The transformation of chocolate in to works of art, at the hands of the best master confectioners and chocolate-makers.

Audiovisuals:
In this area, we can discover the history of chocolate in an interactive, visual form.

Machinery:
A journey around the principal machines related to working with chocolate.

Activities:
The museum offers a wide range of activities, both for schools and for individuals, whether they are children or adults. Advance booking is necessary for all activities.

Education services
The Barcelona Chocolate Museum is a dynamic educational facility, offering a space for education and leisure. It allows us to explore the origins of chocolate, its arrival in Europe and its spread as an element lying between myth and reality.

One of the main aims of the museum is to develop of a cultural project aimed at publicing and raising awareness of chocolate culture to increase the gastronomic prestige given to it, along with the country’s chocolate-making and confectionery tradition.

In addition to the range of activities on offer, the museum has didactic materials aimed at infant, primary and secondary education stages. This material has been planned in accordance with the curriculum design of the different education cycles, establishing the set of objectives and content to be worked on before, during and after the visit.