Museo de Salamanca (Salamanca Museum), Salamanca

Established in 1835 during the wave of Mendizábal’s nationalization of church properties, the museum found its permanent home in 1947 within the House of the Álvarez Abarca-a late 15th-century Gothic-Renaissance palace also known as the “House of the Queen’s Doctors”.

The museum’s permanent galleries are organized into three sections-Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Ethnology-and offer a thoughtful exploration of Salamanca’s heritage. Art enthusiasts will recognize masterpieces like “Weeping over the Dead Christ” by Luis de Morales, the “Panels of Saint Andrew” by Juan de Flandes, and a portrait of the writer Miguel de Unamuno by Juan de Echevarría. Visitors will also encounter a majestic 14th-century Mudejar coffered ceiling from Duenas Convent, along with notable Flemish and Dutch paintings.

The museum expanded in the 1980s to include a modern temporary exhibition hall, a research library, a restoration workshop, and more, all while preserving the building’s historic character.