Museums of Madrid

Today, Madrid is not just the capital of Spain, it is one of the largest historical, architectural and cultural centers of Western Europe. A rich heritage was created century after century and has reached our days thanks to wise rulers, their relatives, vassals and ordinary citizens. Sculptures, books, ceramics, furniture, manuscripts, paintings and other treasures of the past days are carefully represented today by galleries and halls, and many beautiful buildings of the ancient building turned into a whole avenue of museums in Madrid. A little more detail about some of them.

The Prado Museum

The main museum of Madrid, of course, is the National Prado Museum ! Otherwise it is called the Museum of Painting or the Art Museum in Madrid. In importance, he competes with such pearls as the Louvre and the Hermitage. The museum was created by the father and son: Charles V and Philip II in 1819 to make available to the people accumulated collections. For today it is more than 4000 works of all schools of European painting and such great masters as Rubens, El Greco, Goya, Velasquez, Titian and others. In addition to the canvases, the collection of the museum contains about 400 antique sculptures, a lot of jewelry. Prado, one of the best museums in the world , annually receives about 2 million tourists from all over the world.

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

It is also in the center of Madrid and is famous for the fact that the collection of masterpieces presented earlier was the largest private collection in the world. The wealthy Baron Heinrich Thiessen-Bornemisus, from the time of the Great Depression, bought around the world pictures of most European masters of different schools in about 6 centuries. A large proportion of the work of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Cubism. You can admire such authors as Duccio, Raphael, Claude Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Hans Holbein, etc. The heirs of the Baron continue to buy art and are now renting them to the government of Spain.

Museum of Queen Sofia

Together with the Prado and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, this center is part of the "golden triangle of art" in Madrid. The museum opens to us all facets of contemporary art from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day. It presents such masters as Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Anthony Tapies, Solana and others. In addition to the permanent collection, the museum presents temporary exhibitions and has a scientific center of culture. The pearl of the museum is the famous "Guernica" by Pablo Picasso, under it is part of the ground floor, where you can also see all sketches and sketches of the author to work. The architecture of the museum also reflects its content.

Maritime Museum of Madrid

He falls into the top three of the world's best museums, which tell of ships, navigation and all naval issues. For 200 years of existence, the museum has repeatedly moved, until it settled in the building of the Ministry of the Navy. The Maritime Museum bears the legacy of five centuries, which was painstakingly collected since the heyday of the Spanish Empire. You can admire the models of ships, navigation tools of many eras, old maps, ship logs and objects, weapons, paintings on relevant topics. A special part of the exhibition is devoted to the pioneers, piracy and the treasures raised from the seabed.

Museum of the Jamon

The most appetizing museum in Madrid is the museum of the jamon . It is a network of "shop-market-cafe" format where each seller can tour for you a variety of kinds of jamon, sausages and cheeses. You can participate in the tasting and even get a free ticket for this. And as a souvenir you can buy any exhibit from hundreds of represented or a part of it.

Museum of America

Spain is a pioneer country and thanks to this it has its own museum of America , which is also located in Madrid and has no analogues in Europe. Most of the exhibits are more than a thousand years old. You can get acquainted with the gods of the Indians, their decorations, amulets and rituals; see the conditions and way of life of the tribes who inhabited the two continents before their development: utensils, weapons, art, as well as things of the first conquerors and immigrants.

Archaeological Museum

In Madrid, since 1867, there is its Archaeological Museum, which is rich in artifacts of ancient tribes, inhabiting at different times the territory of Spain, objects of applied art, collections of coins and ornaments, interesting archaeological finds. In the museum there is a model of Altamira caves, in which they found the most vivid rock carvings, as well as sculptures over 2.5 thousand years old.

Royal Palace

An important heritage of Madrid is the Royal Palace . The building itself has an interesting history, and the luxury of the apartments can only be compared with Versailles. Openings for excursions rooms and rooms have their own style, decoration, architecture and store in themselves collections of paintings, porcelain, sculpture, jewelry, weapons and musical instruments. At the main gate you can watch the change of guard of guards.

Museum of bullfighting

It is impossible not to mention the museum, which was opened in 1951 in the arena of bullfights Las Ventas. The collection contains portraits of matadors, their armor, personal belongings, stuffed heads of defeated bulls.

Joaquin's house museum of Sorolli

The most famous artist-impressionist of Spain Joaquin Sorola lived and worked in the early twentieth century. Currently, his house in Madrid opens the homonymous museum-house of Joaquin Sorolia. He keeps a large collection of master paintings, his personal belongings and collections of arts.

The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando

In Madrid, one of the museums is the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando . The academy was founded more than 250 years ago by the King of Spain, Fernandin VI, and its graduates became such famous masters as Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Antonio Lopez Garcia and others. Today it is a beautiful collection of West-European and Spanish paintings from the 16th century to the present time, where there are also educational departments in the fields.

Cerralbo Museum

One of the most interesting museums in the capital of Spain - the Cerralbo Museum - departed the state by the will of the Marquis. Together with the family palace of the nobleman he transferred all his possessions and collections of medieval armor (helmets, armor, swords) accumulated by generations, ammunition of samurai, a set of porcelain sets, antiques and canvases. Most of the items were purchased at top-level auctions.

Suit Museum

In 2004, the exhibition, which lasted 90 years, received the official status of the Costume Museum. Thanks to its expositions, you can plunge into different epochs of every corner of Spain and follow the development of fashion to the present day. Very interesting is the exposition of accessories: umbrellas, gloves, hats, corsets.

Museum of Romanticism

Romanticism is a special passion, a passion that is in the history of art of every country. But the hobby itself passed, and the remaining items over a hundred years ago became the basis for an exhibition of a non-specific museum - the Museum of Romanticism, where you can see not only paintings, but also furniture, accessories and much more.

In Madrid, an incredible number of different museums among themselves. You can never visit them all in one day. But once you arrive, your heart will long for the museums of Spain again and again.

Opening hours of museums in Madrid

1. The National Prado Museum is open from 9:00 to 20:00; on Sunday and on holidays - from 9:00 to 19:00, day off - Monday.
2. The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum is open from 10:00 until 19:00, Monday is a day off.
3. The Museum of Queen Sofia is open from 10am to 8pm, on Sundays until 14:00, on a weekend - Tuesday.
4. The Maritime Museum is open from 10:00 until 19:00, Monday is a day off.
5. The museum of the jamon is open daily from 11:30 to 20:00.
6. Museum of America: open from 9:30 to 18:30, on Sundays - until 15:00, Monday - off.
7. The Archaeological Museum is open from 9:30 to 20:00, on Sundays and on holidays - until 15:00, on a day off - Monday.
8. The Royal Palace is open from 10:00 to 18:00, closed for official events.
9. The museum of the arena "Las Ventas" is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00, on the Day of bullfighting (Sunday) - abbreviated.
10. The Joaquin Sorolei House Museum is open from 9:30 to 20:00, on Sundays and on holidays until 15:00, on a day off - Monday.
11. The Royal Academy of Fine Arts San Fernando works from 10:00 to 15:00, closed on Monday.
12. The Cerralbo Museum is open from 9:30 to 15:00, Thursday from 17:00 to 20:00, on Sunday and on holidays from 10:00 to 15:00, and the day off is Monday.
13. The Suit Museum is open from 9:30 to 19:00, on Sundays and on holidays until 15:00, the day off is Monday.
14. The Museum of Romanticism is open from 9:30 to 18:30, on Sundays and on holidays from 10:00 to 15:00, and the day off is Monday.

All museums do not work on December 25, January 1 and May 1. The schedule of temporary exhibitions should be specified.