Amaiur Arkeologia Zentroa

About the museum

Amaiur, in the Baztan valley, was the scene of the last resistance to the conquest of Navarre: the castle held out until 19 July 1522, and on 11 August of that year it was rendered unusable with mines. The first mentions of the fortress date from the 12th century, and between 1512 and 1522 it was extended with large works to withstand artillery attacks. Since then the account of those events has been passed down from generation to generation.

The archaeology centre occupies the ground floor of a house on the village's Calle Mayor, with 150 square metres, of which 115 are devoted to the exhibition. It shows the materials recovered over the last fifteen years by a team from the Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi in the excavations of the castle. The exhibition is organised in three blocks: the Middle Ages, from the 12th century to 1512, with arrowheads and crossbow bolts, clothing ornaments, pottery fragments and nails; the conquest, between 1512 and 1522, with iron projectiles weighing more than 14 kilos and the so-called “espada de Amaiur”, the most striking piece; and memory, with publications from the 17th to the 20th centuries in a seven-metre display case.

The museum also keeps objects from the castle's cistern, such as a wooden and iron bucket, a wooden box and lance points with silver ferrules, and a replica of an armoured door. A virtual reconstruction of the castle is shown only in the museum. From 1 July 2026 access to the castle's archaeological site requires a ticket. The association is also promoting the construction of a visitor centre in the village.

Highlights

• The “espada de Amaiur”, found together with projectiles of the period
• Iron projectiles of more than 14 kilos recovered at the castle
• Objects from the castle cistern, including a wooden and iron bucket
• Virtual reconstruction of the castle, visible only in the museum
• Guided visits to the castle's archaeological site

Permanent exhibition

• Centro de arqueología de Amaiur – Exhibition of the finds from the castle excavations in three blocks: the Middle Ages, the conquest of 1512–1522 and the later memory.

Founded

2020

Admission & discounts

Residents of Baztan get the joint ticket to the castle and museum free of charge.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the Agerrea house, on Calle Mayor in Amaiur.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit