Barcelona Royal Academy of Arts & Science
Fabra Observatory
This academy was founded in 1764 as a private literary society. The library houses more than 100,000 volumes and its collections from the second half of the 18th century are highly noteworthy. It also hosts an archive, a collection of watches, as well as ancient astronomy, meteorology and seismic equipment.
According to its articles of association, the academy is a restricted association for science scholars and their publications. Its purpose is to serve as a promoter and benchmark of Catalan society and culture in everything relating to applied arts and sciences.
It also encompasses the Fabra Observatory, which opened its doors in 1904. Josep Comas i Solà was its first director.