Naval Museum of Madrid
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  Location of Museo Naval de Madrid | |
| Established | 1843[1] |
|---|---|
| Location | Paseo del Prado 5 Madrid, Spain |
| Type | Naval museum |
| Website | www.armada.mde.es/museonaval |
The Museo Naval de Madrid —in English, Naval Museum of Madrid— is a national museum in Madrid, Spain. It shows the history of the Spanish Navy since the Catholic Monarchs, in the 15th century, up to the present. The displays set naval history in a wide context with information about Spanish rulers and the country's former colonies. The collections include navigation instruments, weapons, maps and paintings.
The building
Its origins date back to 1792, but it was not until 1843 when the Museum was inaugurated in Madrid. It was finally moved to its current location at the Spanish Navy Headquarters in 1932.[1] Behind a modernist facade on the Paseo del Prado, former courtyards (now exhibition halls of the Naval Museum) are covered by spectacular stained-glass roofs with naval and decorative motifs made by Maumejean.
Collections
The map of Juan de la Cosa, the earliest preserved map of the Americas,[2] is hosted in this museum.[1]
Since 2007, the museum hosts one gram of moon rock. One of two such samples given to Spain, it was collected on the 1972 Apollo 17 mission. The rock was put on display in 2009, to mark the 40th annioversary of the first moon landing.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Robles, Luis A. "Juan de la Cosa's Projection: A Fresh Analysis of the Earliest Preserved Map of the Americas". Retrieved 15 May 2012.
- ^ "La piedra lunar que EEUU regaló a España, estrella de la 'Noche en Blanco' de Madrid". El Mundo. 2009. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
- Pictures of ship models in the museum, from visit in May 2009 High resolution photos
External links
