Museu del Cinema Girona | Barcelona

The Cinema Museum (Museu del Cinema - Col·lecció Tomàs Mallol) is located in Girona, not Barcelona. It is situated in the Mercadal district of Girona's city center, approximately 100 kilometers northeast of Barcelona.

Visual Characteristics

The museum is housed in a renovated 19th-century neoclassical building. The interior is organized chronologically across three floors, featuring dark, climate-controlled galleries designed to highlight projected light and optical illusions. The displays transition from shadow theater and "magic lanterns" to the mechanical birth of cinematography.

Location & Access Logistics

Address: Carrer de la Séquia, 1, 17001 Girona.

Transport from Barcelona: 38 minutes via the high-speed AVE/AVANT train from Barcelona Sants to Girona Station (then a 10-minute walk). By car, it is approximately 1 hour 15 minutes via the AP-7.

Access: The museum is located in a pedestrian-friendly area near the Onyar River.

Parking: The nearest public parking is "Pàrquing Saba Santa Caterina" (5-minute walk).

Historical Origin

Opened in 1998, the museum is based on the private collection of Catalan director Tomàs Mallol. It was the first museum of its kind in Spain. The collection spans 400 years of visual history, documenting the era of "Pre-cinema"-the period when humanity first attempted to capture and animate images before the Lumière brothers' invention in 1895.

Key Highlights & Activities

The Magic Lantern Collection: One of the world’s most extensive displays of 18th and 19th-century image projectors.

The Lumière Cinématographe: An original 1895 device that served as both camera and projector.

Shadow Puppetry: A section dedicated to Asian and European shadow theater, including original Turkish Karagöz puppets.

The Camera Obscura: Interactive displays demonstrating the fundamental principles of optics and light.

Infrastructure & Amenities

The museum features a specialized library, a small cinema hall for screenings, and a gift shop focused on optical toys and film history. The building is equipped with elevators and is fully wheelchair accessible. 5G coverage is excellent throughout the facility.

Best Time to Visit

Weekdays are ideal for a quiet experience. As the museum is entirely indoors and temperature-controlled, it is a frequent refuge during the summer heat or rainy days. It is a central attraction during the "Girona Temps de Flors" festival in May.

Facts & Legends

The collection is considered one of the top three in Europe for pre-cinema artifacts. It includes extremely rare "Optical Views"-hand-colored prints designed to be seen through a lens to create a 3D effect, which were the virtual reality of the 1700s.

Nearby Landmarks

Girona Cathedral: 0.8km East

Onyar River (Red Bridge): 0.2km East

Jewish Quarter (El Call): 0.6km East

Dalí Theatre-Museum (Figueres): 40km North (accessible via train)