Construction work in Barcelona’s Ciutadella district has revealed a remarkably preserved medieval shipwreck, provisionally named Ciutadella I. The vessel, believed to date from the 15th or 16th century, was uncovered five meters below ground during excavations for a new biomedicine center, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Measuring ten meters long and three meters wide, the ship was built using skeleton construction typical of late medieval Mediterranean vessels, with curved wooden ribs and planks fastened by dowels and iron nails. Groundwater kept the wood waterlogged for centuries, aiding preservation, though the timbers remain extremely fragile and must be kept wet to avoid rapid decay.
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The shipwreck is just the latest discovery at the site, a former fish market whose layered history includes remnants of an 18th-century fort and a Spanish Civil War air-raid shelter, according to a story published in the Guardian. The vessel was found close to the old port and an artificial stone quay, suggesting it may have been involved in the bustling maritime trade that once dominated the area.
Organic remains, including hazelnut seeds and pine cones, were also recovered and may help refine the ship’s dating while also offering clues about the goods moving through the medieval port. The location of the wreck points to how much farther inland Barcelona’s shoreline extended 500 years ago.
The find complements the 2008 discovery of Barceloneta I, a 15th-century merchant vessel found during construction near Estació de França. Together, the two ships deepen the picture of Barcelona as a major commercial hub in the late Middle Ages.
Archaeologists are now carefully dismantling the Ciutadella I for conservation, with each piece undergoing desalination and stabilization treatments to ensure long-term preservation. With roughly 10 to 15 percent of the 7,000-square-meter excavation site still to be explored, further discoveries are expected.