The National Archaeological Museum in Spain just finished remodeling works that have lasted 6 years. It needed to upgrade to its rooms, in this time that we live.
The National Archeological Museum inside. Madrid. Spain
"We brought suddenly an institution of the nineteenth century to the twentieth one century". With these words summarized the Director of the National Archaeological Museum (MAN), Andres Carretero, comprehensive renovation wins this museum space after some works that have lasted six years and have remained closed to the public the last two and half years. Its doors will reopen to visitors next Tuesday 1 April, following its official opening on Monday by the Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, and it will do so for free until the 20th.
The lobby
An investment of 65.2 million euros to increase by 13% its working surface and move from 19,280 square feet to 23,303, of which approximately 10,000 square meters correspond to its 40 exhibition halls --it has earned 30.2 % of exhibition space--, in which some 13,000 archaeological restored pieces are shown almost entirely.
The lobby with the ticket counter
These are some of the figures that have been given in the press presentation of the renewed MAN, postponed two days of mourning after the death of Adolfo Suárez, which was attended by the Minister of Education, Culture and Sport, Jose Ignacio Wert , who has not hesitated to say, "without arrogance", that this action puts it "between the most important archaeological museums in Europe", assimilating to the operations of the Acropolis Museum in Athens or the Neues Museum in Berlin.
Greece
Wert, who considered "lean" investment, considering the achievements and compared with those made in other European museums, presented the remodeling as a "proof of institutional continuity" --planning began 15 years ago-- and he has been convinced that this "new museum" is now "more attractive, friendly, interesting, accessible and visitable".
Opened in 1867, in these almost 150 years, the National Archaeological had done only "tinkering", the last one in the 60s, explained Carretero, who has insisted that the scale of this remodel was transported to a museum nineteenth century "to present completely" and has renewed "from the ground to the roof", literally. However, this update has been also made with a "restful approach" and "no experience with games and color" to last at least 25 years, has clarified its director.
The "museum of the history of Spain" as defined by Wert and Carretero, has also renewed and updated its museum discourse to do it more teaching, so that the user can choose the level of complexity in which you want to dive, from the basic to the most learned.
While it is necessary that an archaeological museum has a "text", to explain the meaning of their object, --"for in hard you look, a stone does not tell you anything", as the MAN director has expressed plastically, neither it was wanted that Users founded "a Bible next". Thus, he explains, has ensured that the visitor first "see things", then go to a "complementary artwork", in a third level provides for maps showing the geographical distribution of the object, then see an audiovisual and "only if you are very interested in a fifth level, find the text ".
Another one of the cornerstones of the reform has been the availability to suit all people with special needs.
The 13,000 pieces displaying now the National Archaeological Museum --2000 less than before, but still represent any historical moment-- show "the history of the peoples who have lived in the territory of what is now Spain historically", with objects ranging from early hominids to the reign of Isabel II, as the tour will end in 1867, with the creation of the museum, explained its Director.
The MAN, in its 40 rooms, returns to the public all their treasures of prehistory --reservoir as Los Millares or the Argar--, the early history –with the lady of Elche like a protagonist absolutely--, the Roman Hispania --pieces from Mérida, Medina Sidonia ... -- late antiquity and medieval times --the Visigoth “Guarrazar Treasury”--, and the modern age, in addition to its important numismatic and medalistic collection.
The Prehistory
The Lady of Elche.
The Roman-Hispania
They are also represented other civilizations like Egyptian or Greek, although there is an "imbalance" in the collections due to the collector tradition. Thus, the collection of Greek pottery is probably the second best in the world, because the royal family collected it over 200 years, while other Mediterranean cultures are represented from the point of view of the work of Spanish archaeologists abroad.
Egypt
The permanent collection will have to add the temporary hosting the new space of almost 700 square meters, dedicated for this purpose and which will open "soon" but at a date still to be confirmed, with the treasure of the frigate "Our Lady of the Mercedes", the company extracted by treasure hunters Odyssey and since Spain managed to recover, that is displayed in Cartagena.
But that will be soon. While there are three miles of exhibition tour to rediscover, in the new National Archaeological Museum.
I think that it is very interesting that Spain can keep all those pieces from several important times of History.And I hope that you can come to Madrid, to enjoy the Museum.
Till soon, kind regards,
Luis.
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