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MUSEUMS
Many elements of the ladscape of Andorra, and also the configuration of its centres of population, are the product of a culture wich was based on the intensive but rational explotiation of the natural resources offered by the mountains. Head of households, inheritors and second-borns are some of the inhabitants wich have marked the forms of life throughout the centuries of a country rooted to its customs and traditions. The museums of Andorra are the reflection of the life of the community, and are intended to interpret and present the culture and knowledge of a society with its own personality.
Andorra surprises us for the large number of museums it offers visitors with their cultural uniquenss, wher art lives alongside nature, culture and the most modern artistic manifestations. In just 468 km2, you will find nineteen museums around all of the parishes, which are sure to satisfy the expectations of all of those who wish to discover charming museums, emblematic buildings and even enjoy the most singular collections.
SANCTUARY OF NOSTRA SENYORA DE MERITXELL
The Sanctuary is formed by a set of heritage elements: the ancient Romanesque church, the new sanctuary and a road with oratories and a preaching cross.
The ancient chapel dedicated to St. Mary, the patron saint of Andorra, was considerably transformed during the 17th century. In 1972 it was burnt down and rebuilt in 1994. Today it houses the permanent display Meritxell memory, which shows the history of the devotion of the people of Andorra for their patron saint.
The new sanctuary is a temple planned by the architect Ricard Bofill (1976). This eclectic construction synthesises the work of man and the scenery that surrounds him. On the altar ther is a reproduction of the Romanesque bust of Our Lady Meritxell.
TWO WHEEL MUSEUM ( M2R )
Balance, cold-bloodedness, two wheels and the penetrating, unmistakable smell of petrol. This cocktail has been reproduced throughout history since in 1885 Gottlieb Daimler built the first motorcycle. Its evolution, marked both by technological developments and by design tendencies, has run parallel to the changes in humanity and has accompanied them in work, leisure, sport, war and peace.
Canillo M2R is the first museum of this kind in Andorra and is intended to pay homage to this much loved vehicle wich undoubtedly deserves a place in the pages of history. The space holds the most singular, representative machines of all times, from the early 20 th century to our days.
CASA CRISTO MUSEUM
The Casa Cristo museum offers visitors a unique opportunity to contemplate the way of life of a humble house in Andorra in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th.
The building, a narrow terraced house, has three floors full of small details of daily life: the fools polished for use, the stone sink, the centenary baptismal dress, the secret drawer where the mistress hid away a little money, etc. Ther is no luxury, no superfluous element, everything is a sign of work and austerity.
HOLY ART MUSEUM
Leaning against the parish church of Santa Eulàlia in Encamp we will find a small museum dedicated to the holy art in the parish. Divived into three rooms (gilt, textile and paper), th museum has a collection fo liturgical objects form the churches in the town.
We might highlight the remains of a wrought iron Romanesque chandelier from Sant Romà de vila, a broze thurible from the 14th century, a Vera Crucis from 1571 and the reproduction of the mediaeval codex of Beatus de Liébana, as well as parchments from the 16th and 17th centuries. the visit to the museum may be completed with another to the parish church.
NATIONAL AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM
The National Autmobile Museum shows the evolution of the vehicles throughout their existence: from the pinette steam engine (1885), the oldest item in the museum, until the second half of the C20th. The collection, considered one of the most important in the south of europe, is formed by eighty vehicles, sixty motorcycles and around a hundred bicycles. This collectiono is complemented by a series of objects related to the motor world: miniatures, postersa, advertising, accessories, etc.
The visit allows you to discover how these mechanical devices have served to transport people and goods around the world and have been one of the most important challenges of the 20th century.
CASA D'ARENY - PLANDOLIT MUSEUM
The Casa d'Areny-Plandolit house is one of the most emplematic museums in Andorra. This house dates back to the 17th century, but most of the structures are from the mid-19th, the time of the economic rise of the family thanks to the figure of Guillem d'Areny-Plandolit and his activities related to the iron industry. The furniture and decoration are faithful to the form of life of the family and their social condition, and objects are displayed from a time when luxuries were unknow in the valleys of Andorra, and limited to this family, the only representatives of the nobility of the country. The visit takes us to the Andorra of the 19th and 20th centuries and includes a stroll around the gardens of the complex, wich also included the former museum of denaturalised animals (1930), now set up as the Andorra National Auditorium.
LA CORTINADA NATURE CENTRE
The La Cortinada Nature Centre is located in Casa Masover in la Cortinada. An interactive centre which allows you to experiment with elements from the mountains, to listen to the sounds of nature and discovered its fragances and aromas.
The building contains the permanent display "2.104 metres" which shows us the formation of the Pyrenees and the climatological phenomena which have shaped the Andorran landscape. The space provides visitors with a series of thematic displays for them to discover the fauna and flora of the country.
CAL PAL MILL AND SAW WORKS
The saw works and the mill are clear examples of the active past of the Ordino Valley. The buildings date back to the lat 16th century and early 17th; they stopped working around the 1960s, and were restored and opened on July 21st 1996.
As part of the visit, a demostration will be given of wood cutting using a hydrarulic saw in which it is possible to see the wheel and all of the elements that make it up. On the visit to the mill, there is a demostration to show the process of turning wheat into flour. All of the guided visits with demonstrations are completed by the corresponding videos.
ICONOGRAFIC AND MINIATURE MUSEUM
The museum has two collections covering the subject of miniatures and religious iconography. The exhibition of microminiature art has unique specimens made by nad using noble material such as gold and platinum or common materials such as paper, fruit seeds and grains of rice.
There is also the possibility of visiting the iconographic display with around a hundred icons representing the artistic expression of Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Byzantine orthodox religious art of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The collection is complemented by audio-visual elements and displays 200 volumes of documentation on the same subject.
PIN MUSEUM
The Pin Museum shows visitors a unique collection: over 106,000 different pins will present the most important events of history and take you to the most singular places around the world. All of the subjects you can imagine represented: sports, children, travel, events, culture.... more than 189 subjects distributed in several display units.
You will also find a multimedia area wher you can view the videos of the museum's appearances on televison and the most important facts and stories behind this collection.
POSTAL MUSEUM
The need to communicate is inherent to human beings, and to communicate over a distance has been a challenge for society. From shouting to new technologies, the means of communication have evolved giddily. the Andorra Postal Museum, in the restored el raser borda (barn), uses audio-visual to show the world of mail and explains how this system of communication has evolved from antiquity to present times. It also allows us to see the postal history of Andorra and how stamps and letters, the elements of an established system of communication, relate to people and peoplesñ. The collection is made up of 50,000 stamps, some of which date back to 1928. The collection is complemented by an exhibition of the processes of making and printing stamps and different philatelic curiosities.
CASA RULL MUSEUM
The Casa Rull Museum was one of the most important houses in the parish of la Massana. Its roof sheltered inheritors and second-borns, lads and maids.
The main body of the building is from the 17th century, with later modifications in line with the family's changing needs; in 19th century, the building suffered a fire which affected its attic. Today it has a ground floor, two upper floors and an attic.
The visit takes us back to the Andorra of 19 th century and early 20th century and shows us the life of the Perich family in which working the lang and stock breeding were the economic base of Andorran rural society.
ROMANESQUE ANDORRA INTERPRETATION CENTRE
The Romanesque Andorra Interpretation Centre uses an audiovisual and an exhibition to present the main characterístics of this artistic style and evolution in the valleys, and all of the artistic manifestations: from the parts of a church to paintings and their production process, without forgetting other art displays.
Amongs other pieces the keystone of an arch is presented with mural painting decorations from Sant Esteve in Andorra la Vella (C. 12th), a wooden bladed tool from Santa coloma, the side columns of the multicolour wooden altar from Sant Romà de Vila (C.13th.), a thorny cross in multicolour wood from Sant Cerni de Nagol (C.13th), etc.
INTERPRETATION CENTRE ROSSELL FORGE
The Rossell Forge was built between 1842 and 1846 and despiste a short period of inactivity, it remained open until 1876. This makes it one of the last active forges in Andorra and a living example of the pre-industrial heritage of the country.
The present Farga Rossell iron interpretation centre uses an audiovisual and a pile driver demostration to explain the process fo trasforming iron mineral into ingots and its later commercialisation on Catalan markets; the tools are also shown wich are used to work this material: the horn, the furnace, etc....
CASA DE LA VALL MUSEUM
The Casa de la Vall is the headquarters of the General Council; the Parliament of Andorra. This building is emblematic for its historical significance. In 1419, and interparish organisation was ratified which was called the Consell de la Terra (Council of the Land), which later became the General Council of the Valleys of Andorra.
The house was built in 1580 and belonged to the Busquets family, being purchased in 1702 by the General Council. The building is quadrangular and has three cavities, its type being that of the Catalan country mansions. On the main facade, the present shield of Andorra is displayed as well as the former one (after C14th) and certain defence elements stand out: embrasure, tower and machicolations. The building was restored in 1962.
TOBACCO MUSEUM
The museum is an emblematic building from the early 20th century, formerly the Reig tobacco factory of Sant Julià, which worked from 1909 to 1957, when the harvesting and production of tobacco were fundamental in the life of the people and villages of Andorra.
Using a multimedia system, visitors are guided through the factory and explained the different processes of working with tobacco, manufacturing the products and their commercialisation. The museum presents tools, devices, machines, furnitures and aromas which were used in the tobacco factories in the first half of the 20th century.
PERFUM MUSEUM
The Perfum museum invites visitors to discover the world of essences and aromas and to find out the origins and the sensations they evoke. You will discover the history of Andorra and the world through perfume, where fragances mark time and leave the legacy of thousands of flsks which hide the most singular smells. The exhibition of flasks and objects related to perfumery will give you a perspective of the development of the industry and the art of perfume throughout the 20th century.
The museum suggest a multimedia visit in which you will experience the most special moments and will remember people and feelings through aromas, and offers you the possibility of creating you own perfume. A complet experience which will awaken your senses.
ART GALLERIES
The wide range of cultural activities offered by the country includes a selection of art galleries wher we can discover the works of internationally renowned artists, or enjoy the works of Andorran artists. The national galleries contribute to national promotion and creation, and offer the chance to experience a new view of art. Entrance to the exhibitions is completely free and all the spaces have a purchasing service for us to be able to take home the work we most enjoyed.
There follows a small selection of the galleries in the Principality, where we will find information referring to the current exhibition show.
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