VIRTUAL Barcelona

Abstract

The cultural heritage on which tourism created a flourishing industry faces the same critical issues of a globalised world, spoilt by consumerism and no longer sustainable lifestyles. The precious cultural capital that characterises our cities often finds itself exploited for immediate economic return without assessing the long-term effects of policies that often, over time, give no real benefits to the communities and their inhabitants. Minor assets linked to local traditions are not adequately valorised because they are overshadowed by the larger cultural assets in cities. The Barcelona case is emblematic and representative of many other coastal urban contexts where the rich maritime tradition is scarcely protected, enhanced or recognised. Indeed, from an anthropological and design point of view, constructions and human artefacts live and are preserved thanks to their use, which, if remembered in tradition, can be adapted to the advancing future, without forgetting their origins and original purpose. In this scenario, Maritime Museums such as the Museu Marítim de Barcelona are playing a fundamental role in the valorisation and dissemination of the tangible and intangible Nautical-Maritime Heritage and, if properly interpreted as territorial museums, they can constitute a strong urban connective, determining positive spin-offs both in tourism and in the resident community. According to these premises, the essay intends to address the themes of Nautical Heritage and Maritime Museums as an opportunity for sustainable territorial valorisation, also through the contribution of digital technologies, and as an occasion for collective and communicative reflections on the man-sea relation.