Museo de Málaga / Museum of Malaga
As if we didn’t have enough in the ‘Museum City’, we’ve been gifted one more.
Located in the Malaga port’s old customs house (La Aduana), a stone’s throw from the cathedral, is the Museo de Málaga.
The Museum of Malaga boasts 18,000 square metres of exhibition space – more than the CAC, the Thyssen and the Picasso museum combined – making it quite a lengthy visit if you wish to make the most of it.
Two museums in one: Fine Arts and archaeology
The Museo de Málaga tracks Malaga province’s heritage from Prehistoric times all the way through to the 21st century. In fact, it actually brings together two of the province’s major collections: Fine Arts and Archaeology.
The restored Aduana is now home to 15,000 archaeological artefacts and more than 2,000 Fine Arts pieces – essentially offering visitors the chance to visit two museums in one.
The permanent collection of the Fine Arts section is made up of three main parts: objects from the San Telmo Fine Arts Academy in Malaga, pieces from the Prado and Reina Sofía national galleries in Madrid, and private donations from artists and collectors.
The Archaeological collection, meanwhile, brings together finds from various sources. The main ones are the discoveries made during the excavations of the Alcazaba, especially during the 1930s and 1940s.
However, there are also remains from the Roman cities of Lacipo (Casares), Acinipo (Ronda) and Suel (Fuengirola), Malaga’s Roman theatre, and Cerro del Villar that can be seen in the museum, too. These were mostly discovered during excavations supported by archaeologists from the museum itself and the University of Malaga from the 1970s onwards.
A new home after 19 years away
The Museum of Malaga has had a complicated history.
The provincial Fine Arts and Archaeology collections were originally housed in the building which is now home to the Picasso museum and the Alcazaba, respectively. Then, in 1997, they were put into storage and hidden from public view.
Several protests and 19 years later and a solution to two problems has been found. The empty customs house is now occupied and the museum as we know it today finally opened. On 12 December 2016, the people got their museum back.
Visiting the Museo de Málaga
Entry to the Museum of Malaga is free for Malaga residents and EU citizens (ID required).
Click here for more information about opening hours and entry.
Daryl is the co-founder of Malaga Guru. He is a copywriter, editor and translator who moved to Malaga a decade ago having first fallen in love with the city on his Erasmus year. After working for many years at local expat newspaper SUR in English, Daryl gained expert knowledge in life from the perspective of foreign residents and decided to co-found this site in 2016.