Cerralbo Museum

• Address: Calle de Ventura Rodríguez, 17, 28008 Madrid
• Phone: (+0034) 915 473 646 (47)
• Website: museocerralbo.mcu.es
• Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday - 9.30-15.00 (Thursday - 17.00-20.00), Sunday - 10.00-15.00

The empire is valuable not for the king, but for his vassals. This historical wisdom just describes the relationship of the Spanish crown and the ancient aristocratic family Cerralbo. From generation to generation, knights and learned men faithfully served their homeland, painstakingly collecting and preserving all the valuable legacy they touched. And today the veil of the past is opened for us in the house-palace museum Cerralbo (Cerralbo).

Now the state museum, and earlier the private palace of the 17th Marquis de Cerralbo is a well-known cultural place, the owner of which arranged the collected collections of ancestors and multiplied. The palace was built in 1884, and after the death of its owner in 1922 by will was transformed into a state museum. There are a lot of similar buildings in Madrid: the Galdiano Museum , the Palace of Velasquez , the Palace of Liria and the Palace of Santa Cruz are the brightest representatives of such museum houses. The Cerralbo Museum houses a beautiful rich collection of antiquities, various weapons and paintings - only about 50,000 copies:

1. The collection of weapons is a large list of knights' equipment and armor, the championship of which belongs to the tournament helmet of the founder of the family Serralbo - the first Duke of Savoy. In addition, you will see swords, samurai gear and various eastern weapons, samples of small arms of the 17-18 centuries. Part of this collection is the personal belongings of Cerralbo's ancestors and trophies.
2. In the palace Cerralbo exhibited a significant collection of archaeological finds: sculptures, household items, dishes, the legacy of Ancient Greece and Rome. All this was purchased at various auctions in Europe and Asia.
3. Porcelain collection is mainly represented by the services and dishes that the Serralbo family used for decades, as well as an exhibition of fragile figurines, fashionable in the late 18th century.
4. The Cerralbo Museum houses a collection of little-known drawings by El Greco, Goya, Voskolli and other famous artists. Among them are drawings of architects who built this palace.
5. The Marquis Serralbo was able to collect and save more than a thousand copies of various engravings of French and Spanish schools.
6. According to the opinion of many tourists, it is a special antiquity that bows from the library: it stores a huge collection of books on history, archeology and art, ancient folios and the first printed editions.
7. An interesting collection of photographs taken in the period from 1855 to 1922, many of them - the historical documentation of events.
8. Your review is presented to the Order of the Golden Fleece, which was awarded to one of the first representatives of the noble family, except for it collected almost all Cerralbo awards. Each instance has its own story.
9. The Cerralbo Museum has an interesting collection of coins from around the world, among them there are several antique, Chinese, Galian copies, only about 23,000 pieces.
10. The house-museum has preserved not only its wealth, but also exquisite lush environment: expensive furniture, chic chandeliers, drapes. You can see the first sample of the phone, an alarm clock, etc., which is very interesting in the rich interior of a noble house of the late 19th century.
11. The collection of paintings does not contain particularly famous masterpieces, but connoisseurs will find for themselves the works of Velasquez, Surban, El Greco, Ribeira, Van Dyck.
12. In a separate part of the collection, a collection of tapestries from the 16th and 17th centuries is singled out, they are replete with depictions of heraldry and events of the Middle Ages.
13. The clock is not considered to be a special exhibit, but was carefully selected for the decoration of the house, they have different styles, mechanisms, design. There is something to see.

How to get there and get into the fairy tale?

To reach one of the most beautiful museums in Madrid is easier with the help of public transport . For example, on the metro with lines L2, L3 or L10 to Plaza de España or Ventura Rodríguez station all the same line L3. But it is possible and routes of buses No. 1, 2, 44, 74, 133, 202. By the way, just a few minutes walk from the museum is the temple Debod - another important attraction of Madrid .

The Cerralbo Museum works on all days except Monday, from 9:30 to 15:00, and on Thursday also from 17:00 to 20:00. The ticket price is modest - € 3.