★★★★★ 5.0
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CosmoCaixa Museum of Science
The year is 1909, and the last bricks are being laid on this elegant modernist facade behind you... but the patients moving through these halls aren't here for science exhibits. They're blind residents of Barcelona's most progressive asylum, designed by Josep Domènech i Estapà with revolutionary ideas about light and healing. That original facade you're admiring? It's been hiding an incredible secret since 2004. Walk inside and you'll discover something impossible... Spain's first interactive science museum has been built five stories UNDERGROUND, spiraling around a massive living Amazon tree suspended in mid-air. The 100-million-euro transformation preserved every decorative tile outside while creating 30,000 square meters of wonder below your feet. And yes, you're standing on Carrer d'Isaac Newton... the universe clearly has a sense of humor about scientific destiny.
Did You Know?
- The CosmoCaixa Museum is housed in a stunning Modernista building originally designed by architect Josep Domènech i Estapà in 1904 as an asylum for the blind; after closing in 1979, it was dramatically expanded and transformed into a science museum, retaining its historic facade while quadrupling in size and integrating a massive spiral walkway that descends around a towering Amazonian tree—a unique architectural fusion of old and new, art and science.
- CosmoCaixa is not just Spain’s leading science museum but also one of the most interactive in Europe: visitors can conduct hundreds of hands-on experiments across physics, chemistry, geology, and more, making science accessible and fun for all ages—even the escalator is a transparent, working exhibit that reveals its inner mechanics.
- To celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2024, CosmoCaixa organized special events including a free open day and exclusive screenings of 'Dark Biosphere,' a planetarium show that won the Best Movie Award at the prestigious Fulldome Festival Brno—demonstrating the museum’s ongoing commitment to cutting-edge scientific outreach and immersive experiences for families and school groups.