The Moià Museum and the El Toll Caves Prehistoric Park, located in the Moianès region, take you on a unique journey back in time in Catalonia. This natural heritage site stands out for its wealth of archaeological and paleontological remains, which the museum strives to make available to everyone through services and facilities that cater for a wide range of needs, making it a beacon of accessibility.
An extraordinary site
The El Toll Caves constitute one of the most impressive prehistoric complexes of its kind in Europe thanks to the finds unearthed there dating from the Quaternary, including traces of animals that inhabited the area around 100,000 years ago, such as the cave bear and the woolly rhinoceros, and of the humans who coexisted alongside them. The complex now makes up the El Toll Caves Prehistoric Park, set in the heart of a natural area shaped by the Torrent del Mal, an intermittent tributary of the Llobregat River. A circular route has been designed for visitors to the park, taking in the caves and a reconstructed prehistoric village. The most important cave, El Toll, can be visited in its entirety through a guided tour.
Most of the remains unearthed in the El Toll complex and other sites of the region are housed in the Moià Archaeology and Paleology Museum, located in the town centre. Admission to the museum is included in the price of the visit to the cave complex. This large facility is split into four main areas that display everything from marine fossils dating from 38 million years ago (the organisms that inhabited the Moianès area during the Eocene) to cultural artefacts from different periods, such as ceramics and stone tools from the Neolithic and Bronze Age, not to mention the aforementioned animal and human remains. The special characteristics of the museum do not end there, since Moià was also the birthplace of Rafael Casanova, hero of the siege of Barcelona of 1714. Several interesting exhibits related to Casanova and this important period in Catalan history are also on display.
Visits that cater for all needs
Both Moià Museum and the El Toll Caves Prehistoric Park are firmly committed to accessibility. As such, they have implemented several structural improvements and provide a comprehensive range of services for persons with functional diversity, thus ensuring that everyone can embark on this fascinating journey into prehistory. The museum is equipped with ramps and lifts to facilitate the tour of its rooms. A wheelchair is also made available to any visitor who may need it. Meanwhile, the El Toll Caves are almost entirely wheelchair accessible, except for the final room, due to the characteristics of the terrain.
People with hearing, visual or cognitive impairments can also enjoy an enriching and fulfilling experience. Guide dogs are welcome throughout the facilities, while the “Seeing Through Touch” programme devised by Barcelona Provincial Council enables visitors to explore materials such as replicas of fossils and prehistoric tools in a multi-sensory way. The museum also offers Braille texts in several languages, videos in Catalan Sign Language and an Easy Read adapted guide developed in collaboration with the Easy-to-Read Association. What’s more, an adapted tour has been created in collaboration with students from the Higher Vocational Training Course in Social Inclusion of the Guillem Catà Secondary School in Manresa, aimed at making the museum even more inclusive. In addition, the guided tour of the El Toll Caves Prehistoric Park is also available in Catalan Sign Language.
A museum committed to research
In addition to its commitment to accessibility, it is important to highlight the heritage conservation and dissemination work carried out by theMoià Museum and the El Toll Caves Prehistoric Park. The museum’s collection, which currently stands at more than 50,000 pieces, includes elements of ethnology, art and archaeology. The dissemination of scientific and historical research is one of the cornerstones of the museum’s work. Its research and excavation activities continue to unearth new information that is shared with the public. Thanks to these efforts, the Moià Museum and the El Toll Caves Prehistoric Park open a window into the fascinating prehistoric world while offering an educational, inclusive and accessible experience for everyone.
