Catalonia has a cultural and natural heritage that is both rich and varied. This is due both to its history and its natural environment.

Furthermore, socio-cultural circumstances in our country since ancient times, and particularly during the last 100 years, have resulted in numerous initiatives by collectors and institutions, which together have accumulated significant assets.

It is usual for collections in Catalonia, whether private and public, to be open to the public.

The current legislation for museums in Catalonia defines the structural, infrastructural and operational characteristics of museums and defines collections as cultural institutions which do not fulfill the technical conditions demanded of museums. This means that such institutions, grouped under the denomination of collections, are not defined in this way because of a lower degree of interest in the groups of objects they exhibit, but in accordance with the facilities or organisational structure available to them.

Consequently, in order to be able to offer a public service, the Generalitat de Catalunya (Autonomous Government) is providing this information on the basic details of all known collections in Catalonia that are open to the public.

Although controlling the conditions of museums is regulated by the Museum Act 17/1990, of 2 November, this is not the case for collections. For this reason, the following information is offered on the basis of information provided by the institutions exhibiting the collections.

As a result, this is not an official document, but a useful guide to the collections that are open to the public, in order to offer greater awareness, so that all can obtain greater pleasure from the national and cultural heritage of Catalonia. The details provided have been updated whenever the institutions in question have provided new information.