The Many Museums Of Madrid

Madrid City is not meant just for the tourists, although there are lots to see and do there. Madrid is the capital of Spain with some 6.5 million metropolitan residents. Hence, many types of museum have sprouted for every tourist’s enjoyment.

International art galleries as well as specialized museums can be found here; an example is the Bernabeu Stadium in honor of Real Madrid, the national football club, where an exhibition area is reserved to showcase the internationally renowned football club’s achievements and fame.

There are a few famous city museums like the “Paseo del Arte“, the Reina Sofia, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and others. Some house internationally recognized painting collections of Spanish and European artists while others showcase contemporary great arts. Others are displays of private-owned collections of Goya, Titian, Degas, Kandinsky, Renoir and other 13th – 20th century artists.

One should take his time to enjoy each great piece of art work that each great artist has left for us to enjoy, such as Picasso’s Guernica at Museum Reina Sofia.

The Royal Palace of Madrid has been converted from King Juan Carlos’ residence to a royal museum of official rooms, Royal Armory and a pharmacy.

You will be impressed by the 60,000 pieces of art work at the National Decorative Arts Museum which use various materials rather than just paint and canvas. The Cerralbo Museum is actually an historic mansion that showcases priceless objects while the Serolla Museum is a 20th century average home that houses Joaquín Bastida’s paintings and many personal collections.

Museo del Traje is an interesting costume museum where you can view the various types of costumes from ancient Spain. Some municipal museums are free of charge and can be easily located in the city area. You can also check out Templo de Debod which is an old Egyptian temple located inside a park just beside Plaza de España, and La Castellana Museum which showcase abstract Spanish sculptures.

If you have not experienced a European rail ride, the Train Museum would be an interesting place to start your experience. It is actually an ex-railway station which still runs some small steam trains to entertain the tourists, especially the children.

There are other transportation museums which you can visit to view the various types of transport used in ancient Spain. The Bullfighting Museum, or Museo Taurin, showcases 18th – 20th century’s relics about bullfighting. Here, you will find matador costumes, stuffed toro heads, bullfighting gear, and even bloodied outfit which Manolete wore when the bull gored him to death in 1947. You will certainly learn a lot more about Spain from her museums.