National Archaeological Museum of Spain
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The National Archaeological Museum (Spanish: Museo Arqueológico Nacional) of Spain is in Madrid, beside the Plaza de Colón (Columbus Square), sharing its building with the National Library.
The museum was founded in 1867 by a Royal Decree of Isabella II, and its purpose was to be a depository for numismatic, archaeological, ethnographical and decorative art collections compiled by the Spanish monarchs.
In 1895 all the funds were definitively moved to the current venue, a neoclassical building projected by architect Francisco Jareño and built from 1866 to 1892. In 1968 were started renovation and extension works that considerably increased its area. The building is under reconstruction again as of 2008, with only the highlights from the collection being shown.
The current collection includes, among others, Pre-historic, Celtic, Iberian, Greek and Roman antiquities and medieval (Visigothic, Muslim and Christian) objects.
Highlights include:
- a replica of the Altamira cave
- Lady of Elx
- Lady of Baza
- Bicha de Balazote
- Treasure of Guarrazar
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