Madrid: Museo de Historia de Madrid and Museo Arqueológico Nacional

Madrid’s history museum didn’t get a mention in my guidebook and I don’t know why because I absolutely loved it.

Interesting, informative and exceptionally well curated, it’s a superb museum and a must if you want to learn more about the city’s history.

The National Archaeological Museum, by contrast, did garner an entry in my guidebook – albeit a short one – and it, too, turned out to be a showstopper that’s well worth a visit.

Museo de Historia de Madrid

The Museo de Historia de Madrid (Museum of the History of Madrid) charts the city’s history from the 16th century to the present day.

Situated in the old San Fernando Hospice building (above), the museum features some 60,000 objects over four floors that explore different aspects of the city’s past.

My tour of the museum began on the ground floor with a small photography exhibition of contemporary images of Madrid and its metro stations (above).

Beyond the photography exhibition, the museum begins in earnest, taking visitors on a journey through the city’s history from 1561 onwards.

That’s when Felipe II decided to make the then-quiet town in the centre of the Iberian peninsula his capital.

The museum explores all manner of aspects of the city’s past – from leisure and glassware to clothing and women’s place in Madrid’s history.

It’s a fascinating look at the many elements and events that have contributed to making Madrid the city it is today.

The museum’s packed full of artifacts and information panels, and I spent quite a long time taking it all in.

It was quiet as I looked around, which meant I often had whole galleries to myself and could take my time perusing the exhibits.

I really enjoyed my trip to the museum and was glad I’d decided to visit as there’s so much to see.

Museo Arqueológico Nacional

The comprehensive Museo Arqueológico Nacional (National Archaeology Museum) introduces visitors to an extensive array of artifacts from across the ages.

Founded in the mid-19th century by Isabella II (above), the museum underwent an extensive refurbishment from 2008 to 2014.

The spacious, well-designed museum explores the country’s pre- (below) and protohistory, Roman Hispania (above), the late antiquity and medieval periods, and the modern era.

There are also exhibits about the Near East, Egypt, Nubia and Greece, as well as the history of the museum and an impressive collection of coins.

On going inside, I picked up a leaflet that highlighted 10 artifacts to look out for as I walked around.

The artifacts included an Iberian sculpture, the Lady of Elche; the Zamora Pyxis, which was made at an ivory workshop near Córdoba (above); and an Ancient Egyptian statue of the priest Harsomtus-Em-Hat (below).

I enjoyed having specific objects to look out for as I toured the museum.

It made for a fun task and meant I found myself paying close attention to the exhibits while I was seeking out the artifacts.

As I made my way around, I was taken aback by just how big the museum is.

It’s enormous and there’s so much to see, you need a good two to three hours to really do it justice. The staff are really friendly, too.

Both the Museo Arqueológico Nacional and Museo de Historia de Madrid are excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed my visits.

I’d highly recommend them if you’re in Madrid and fancy learning more about the city and the nation’s past.