Museum sights in Aragón, Basque Country & Navarra
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Euskal Museoa
This museum is probably the most complete museum of Basque culture and history in all the Basque regions. The story kicks off back in the days of prehistory and from this murky period the displays bound rapidly through to the modern age. The main problem with the museum is that, unless you speak Spanish (or perhaps you studied Euskara at school?), it’s all a little meaningless as, amazingly, there are no English or French translations.
The museum is housed in a fine old building, at the centre of which is a peaceful cloister that was part of an original 17th-century Jesuit college. In the cloister is the Mikeldi Idol, a powerful pre-Christian, possibly Iron Age,…
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Museo del Foro de Caesaraugusta
The trapezoid building on Plaza de la Seo is the entrance to an excellent reconstruction of part of Roman Caesaraugusta's forum, now well below ground level. The remains of porticoes, shops, a great cloaca (sewer) system, and a limited collection of artefacts from the 1st century AD are on display. An interesting audiovisual show, presented on the hour in Spanish, breathes life into it all, and audio guides in English (€2) are available.
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Euskal Museoa
This museum is probably the most complete museum of Basque culture and history in all of Spain. The story kicks off back in the days of prehistory and from this murky period the displays bound rapidly through to the modern age.
The main problem with the museum is that, unless you speak Spanish (or perhaps you studied Euskara at school?), it’s all a little meaningless as there are no English or French translations.
The museum is housed in a fine old building, at the centre of which is a peaceful cloister that was part of an original 17th-century Jesuit college. In the cloister is the Mikeldi Idol, a powerful pre-Christian, possibly Iron Age, symbolic figure.
The museum is…
reviewed
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Centro de Historia de Zaragoza
The old convent of San Agustín (only the neoclassical facade remains) is the site of this museum. Each of the eight exhibit rooms focuses on a different aspect of the city's heritage, from trade and transport to popular celebrations. Of particular interest is a series of models depicting Zaragoza's physical transformation through four key phases of its development.
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E
Museo Marítimo Ría de Bilbao
This space-age maritime museum, appropriately sited down on the waterfront, uses bright and well-thought-out displays to bring the watery depths of Bilbao and Basque maritime history to life. There’s an outdoor section where children (and nautically inclined grown-ups) can clamber about a range of boats pretending to be pirates and sailors.
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Museo de San Telmo
Housed in a former 16th-century monastery with an attractive cloister, this museum features paintings ranging from the Renaissance and the baroque through to the 19th century, with a heavy emphasis on Basque painters. A highlight is the chapel, whose walls are decorated with frescoes by José María Sert chronicling Basque artisanship.
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Casa Natal de Goya
Some 23km east of Cariñena along the A220 lies the small village of Fuendetodos, where Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (Goya) began his days in 1746. The Casa Natal de Goya stayed in his family until the early 20th century, when renowned artist Ignacio Zuloaga bought it.
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Museo de Zaragoza
Devoted to archaeology and fine arts, the city museum displays artefacts from prehistoric to Islamic times, with some exceptional mosaics from Roman Cesaraugusta. The upper floor contains 15 paintings by Goya and more than two dozen of his etchings. It's 400m south of the Teatro Romano.
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Museo Oteiza
Around 9km northeast of Pamplona in the town of Alzuza, this impressive museum contains almost 3000 pieces by the renowned Navarran sculptor Jorge Oteiza. As well as his workshop, this beautifully designed gallery incorporates the artist’s former home in a lovely rural setting.
Three buses a day run to Alzuza from Pamplona’s bus station. If you’re driving, Alzuza is signposted north off the NA150, just east of Huarte.
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Arkeologi Museo
Through the use of numerous flashing lights, beeping things and a fair few spearheads and old pots, this museum reinforces the point that the inhabitants of this corner of Spain have lived here for a very long time indeed. Labelling is in Spanish and Basque only.
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Museo Camón Aznar
This collection of Spanish art through the ages is dominated by an extraordinary series of etchings by Goya (on the second floor), one of the premier such collections in existence. You'll also find paintings by other luminaries (including Ribera and Zurbarán), which spread over the three storeys of the Palacio de los Pardo, a Renaissance mansion. But it's the Goyas that will really take your breath away.
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Museo de Navarra
Housed in a former medieval hospital, this superb museum has an eclectic collection of archaeological finds (including a number of fantastic Roman mosaics unearthed mainly in southern Navarra), as well as a selection of art including Goya’s Marqués de San Adrián. Labelling is in Spanish only but foreign translation leaflets are available.
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Museo del Vino
The A23 south towards Teruel passes through Campo de Cariñena, one of Aragón’s premier wine regions. In Cariñena there’s a good Museo del Vino.
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Museo del Puerto Fluvial
Museo del Puerto Fluvial displays the Roman city’s river-port installations. There’s a quaint but enjoyable audiovisual program every half-hour.
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Museo Naval
This museum turns the pages of Basque seafaring and naval history. It’s best appreciated by those with at least basic Spanish-language skills.
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Museo de Tapices
La Seo's Museo de Tapices has an impressive collection of 14th- to 17th- century Flemish and French tapestries.
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Museo del Grabado de Goya
The Museo del Grabado de Goya contains an important collection of the artist’s engravings.
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Museo de las Termas Públicas
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Mirando a San Sebastián
A small museum focusing on the city’s history.
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Museo Diocesano
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Museo del Encierro
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San Telmo Museoa
Both the oldest and newest museum in the Basque country the San Telmo museum has existed since 1902 – sort of. It was actually closed for many years but after major renovation work it has recently reopened and is now a museum of Basque culture and society. The displays range from historical artefacts to the squiggly lines of modern art and all the pieces are supposed to reflect Basque culture and society in some way or another. In reality, though, for most people the collection is a bit haphazard and the connections between the pieces vague. Labelling is in Spanish and Basque with free audio guides available in other languages. Entry is free on Tuesdays.
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