Museo de Historia de los Judíos

The Museum of Jewish History (Museo de Historia de los Judíos) stands in Girona on the spot where the city's last synagogue operated until the expulsion of the Jews in 1492. Housed in the Bonastruc ça Porta Centre, right in the heart of the old Jewish quarter, it is today one of the key sites documenting Jewish history in Catalonia.

Where exactly is the museum located?

The building sits inside Girona's Call, one of the best-preserved medieval Jewish quarters in Europe, within the boundaries of the old town. It occupies the former Casal Ferrer, a townhouse built on the plot where a synagogue and its adjoining communal rooms stood in the 15th century. After the 1492 expulsion the building remained in private hands for centuries and was only restored in the 1980s to become the museum it is today.

What story does the museum tell?

The exhibition traces the history of Girona's Jewish community back to 898, when twenty-five Jewish families first settled in the city. Over the following centuries the community grew into one of the region's most important cultural centers — between the 11th and 13th centuries it was home to a school of Kabbalah renowned across medieval Europe. The narrative closes in 1492, when the expulsion decree ended more than five centuries of Jewish presence in the city.

What can visitors see inside?

The display fills eleven rooms covering the daily life, customs, religion and scholarly achievements of Girona's Jewish community. The museum operates alongside the Nahmanides Institute for Jewish Studies, dedicated to research on the thought of one of medieval Girona's most prominent rabbis and philosophers. The site combines exhibition space with ongoing scholarly work, pairing historical artifacts with active research into Catalonia's Jewish heritage.

Why is this place worth a visit?

The museum works as the natural starting point for exploring the wider Call quarter that surrounds it. It's a rare chance to see not just a reconstruction of history but the genuine medieval fabric of a Jewish urban quarter — narrow lanes, stone walls and inner courtyards that have survived centuries of later change.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where in Girona is the museum located? Inside the Bonastruc ça Porta Centre, in the Call quarter, on the site of the former 15th-century synagogue, right in the heart of the old town.

Since when has it operated in its current form? The building was restored in the 1980s, turning the former Casal Ferrer into a museum dedicated to Jewish history.

What time period does the exhibition cover? From 898, when the first Jewish families settled in Girona, to 1492, the year of the decree expelling Jews from Spain.

Does the museum also carry out scholarly research? Yes — it hosts the Nahmanides Institute for Jewish Studies, which researches the intellectual heritage of Girona's Jewish community.