National Museum of Archaeology

museum

The National Archaeological Museum stands as a massive neoclassical landmark on Calle de Serrano, designed by the architect Francisco Jareño. Construction began in eighteen sixty-six, and it was created to consolidate the scattered historical treasures previously held by the Spanish Crown. Queen Isabella the Second established the institution by royal decree in eighteen sixty-seven, just one year before her reign ended during the Glorious Revolution. The building itself holds a secret underground feature in its garden. You will find a precise, full-scale reproduction of the famous Altamira Cave paintings there. The original Paleolithic cave in northern Spain remains largely closed to the public for conservation, so this reproduction allows visitors to walk through the exact dimensions of the polychrome room, viewing the ancient bison and horses just as they appear in the original limestone cavern.

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