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Anchovy and Salt Museum

L'Escala

Outside view of the MASLE, a modernist building from 1913. The building used to be the municipal abattoir for L'Escala.

Outside view of the MASLE, a modernist building from 1913. The building used to be the municipal abattoir for L'Escala.

The Anchovy and Salt Museum opened in 2006, and is dedicated to recovering, preserving and displaying the material and non-material cultural heritage of L'Escala, especially salting traditions of the local people. Through the project “El Fil de la Memòria” (The Thread of Memory), the Museum aims to preserve and spread the oral history of L'Escala. The Museum regularly publishes a local history magazine Fulls d'Història Local, which includes exhibitions and video recordings of senior citizens.

The Museum has also organised the Salt Festival since 1997, the 3rd centennial of salt storage building. It is the most important event for sharing the non-material cultural heritage of L'Escala, and involves the community, and the festival's authenticity attracts many visitors. Every third Saturday in September, with the natural setting of the beach of the old port, the town of L'Escala pays homage to its fishing and salting past with a display of marine crafts and traditional songs and dances such as the Farandola and Ball del Drac.

SPACES

<p>Salt from the different salt plains in the Catalan Countries, a plan of the salt trade and the storage building.</p>
Salt
Salt
<p>Old photos showing the seine fishing boats leaving and returning, with objects from the time.</p>
Fishing with seine nets
Fishing with seine nets
<p>A view of the old port in L&#39;Escala, located in the town centre, on the Platja de les Barques (Boat Beach).</p>
Fishing with drag nets
Fishing with drag nets
<p>Wooden boxes waiting to be filled with fish for auction, placed on a rack to be transported.</p>
Auctioning the fish
Auctioning the fish
<p>Items used to salt fish, with glass jars and bottles to sell the anchovies in.</p>
Salting anchovies and sardines
Salting anchovies and sardines

OBJECTS

<p>Salt pot, from the late 20th century, used to pour local salt during the Salt Festival.&nbsp;Anchovy and Salt Museum. L&rsquo;Escala.</p>

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Salt pot
Salt pot
<p>Silver <em>salpasser, </em>with an 18th century awl and vessal used to bless the homes in L&#39;Escala.&nbsp;Anchovy and Salt Museum. L&rsquo;Escala.</p>

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Silver "salpasser"
Silver "salpasser"
<p>Wooden fishing boat similar to a <em>sardinal </em>with nets, baskets and cages on the edge.&nbsp;Anchovy and Salt Museum. L&rsquo;Escala.</p>

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Wooden fishing boat similar to
Wooden fishing boat similar to a sardinal
<p><em>El Menut Patot</em>. Photograph by Josep Esquirol from his series <em>Caps d&#39;Estudi</em>, from the early 20th century.&nbsp;Anchovy and Salt Museum. L&rsquo;Escala.</p>

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El Menut Patot
El Menut Patot
<p>Metal pot used to dye the nets for the company Cal Campaner in L&#39;Escala, in the 19th-20th century.&nbsp;Anchovy and Salt Museum. L&rsquo;Escala.</p>

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Metal pot
Metal pot
<p>Wood needles were used to mend the nets, which were different sizes depending on whether they had to carry a larger or smaller load.&nbsp;Anchovy and Salt Museum. L&rsquo;Escala.</p>

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Wood needles
Wood needles
<p>Rack used to carry and sell fish, made with olive wood made of wicker mesh, from the early 20th century.&nbsp;Anchovy and Salt Museum. L&rsquo;Escala.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
Rack
Rack
<p>Photo of a fish auction at the old port in L&#39;Escala during the mid 20th century, by Joan Lass&uacute;s.&nbsp;Anchovy and Salt Museum. L&rsquo;Escala.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
Fish auction
Fish auction
<p>Wooden table used in the fish salting factories during the early 20th century.&nbsp;Anchovy and Salt Museum. L&rsquo;Escala.</p>

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Wooden table
Wooden table
<p>Paper label printed for jars of anchovies made in the Joan Callol i Callol factory at the beginning of the 20th century.&nbsp;Anchovy and Salt Museum. L&rsquo;Escala.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
Paper label printed for jars o
Paper label printed for jars of anchovies

EXTENSIONS

<p>The old kitchen of Can Cinto Xu&agrave;, with the table set, fireplace, stove coal and pantry</p>
Can Cinto Xuà Fishermen's hous
Can Cinto Xuà Fishermen's house
<p>Burial niches with triangular tops, painted white with the sea in the background.</p>
Sailor's cemetery
Sailor's cemetery
<p>The chapel in Cinclaus Castle, dedicated to Santa Reparada, the patron saint of water.</p>
Santa Reparada church in Cincl
Santa Reparada church in Cinclaus
<p>Panoramic view of the Montg&oacute; Tower, built in 1598, with l&rsquo;Escala and Emp&uacute;ries in the background.</p>
Montgó Tower
Montgó Tower
<p>Outside view of Pedr&oacute; tower, partially taken apart so the stones could be reused for other buildings.</p>
Pedró Tower
Pedró Tower

INFORMATION

ADDRESS
FEES
TELEPHONE
WEBSITE
http://www.anxova-sal.cat
OPENING TIMES
EMAIL
museu@lescala.cat

MAP

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