Galician Sea Museum: architecture and coastal identity

The Galician Sea Museum, in Alcabre (Vigo), is an architectural intervention that blends industrial heritage with a contemporary language. The project, started by the Italian architect Aldo Rossi and completed by César Portela in 2002, restored the former cannery from 1887 and integrated new volumes that dialogue with the sea and the memory of the site.

The complex is organized into renovated warehouses and modern structures, connected by walkways and open spaces that link directly to the coastline. The use of original stone, gabled roofs, and large openings towards the horizon create an architecture that respects tradition while offering a bright, open visual experience.

Alongside the Museo do Mar, the site also includes the Castro de Punta do Muiño de Vento, a symbolic landmark that links the seafaring tradition with the coastal landscape of Vigo.