Colección Eugenio Fontaneda-Castillo de Ampudia

About the museum

The castle of Ampudia was built in the 15th century, when the town was linked to the lordship of Pedro García de Herrera. It later passed to the Ayala family and, from the late 16th century, to the Duke of Lerma, who hosted King Philip III and his court in the town on several occasions; political deliberations about moving the capital from Valladolid to Madrid took place there.

In the seventies of the 20th century Eugenio Fontaneda bought the castle and restored it to serve as the custodian of his collection. Fontaneda began collecting at the age of 13 and already in the fifties conceived the idea of showing his pieces to the public. The collection belongs to the type of collector’s museum: it brings together several smaller collections, each almost a single-subject museum, installed in the rooms on the ground floor and in the Patio de Armas. It is now run by the Fundación Eugenio Fontaneda.

The sections are sacred art, pharmacy, archaeology, toys, ethnography and folk arts (with the Museo Etnográfico de los Valles del Campoo), weapons and musical instruments. The archaeology section brings together pieces from old collections and chance finds, mainly from the province of Palencia, and stands out for its set of Bronze Age weaponry, with axes, palmela-type points, daggers and swords.

Highlights

• 15th-century castle with a Patio de Armas of Gothic arcades
• Collector’s museum with several themed sections
• Bronze Age weaponry (axes, daggers and swords)
• Sacred art, pharmacy, toys and musical instruments
• Secret tours of the castle (by booking)

Permanent exhibition

• Colección Eugenio Fontaneda – Collector’s museum in the Patio de Armas and the ground-floor rooms, with sections on sacred art, pharmacy, archaeology, toys, ethnography, and weapons and musical instruments.

Operated by

Fundación Eugenio Fontaneda

Admission & discounts

General admission to the collection: €5 per person. The Amigos del Patrimonio card costs €1 per person.

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 castle is on Calle Costanilla de Santiago, in the town of Ampudia (Palencia).

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The castle offers the Sala de la Tropa, the garden and the Patio de Armas for celebrations and events, but the website states that these rentals are temporarily suspended.

Plan your visit