Museo de la Máquina-Herramienta

About the museum

The idea for the museum arose in 1982, when the arrival of electronics and computing made it necessary to renew the machinery, and machines from the 19th and 20th centuries were on the verge of passing into history. Its promoters saw in the machine tools made by local pioneers a valuable industrial heritage and a possible basis for a specialised museum.

Between 1994 and 1998, with the support of a technical committee, the first steps were taken, and the museum opened on 16 December 1998. The managing body, the Fundación Museo Máquina-Herramienta, was established in San Sebastián on 28 November 1997 as a permanent non-profit institution, and was registered in the Basque foundations register in 1999.

The route shows how the craft processes of the 14th to 19th centuries gave way to the industrial processes that emerged in the Bajo Deba region from the mid-19th century onwards. It is organised into three areas: the machining workshop, with lathes, milling machines and drills in operation; the medieval hall, devoted to smithing and the arms-making tradition; and the Patxi Aldabaldetrecu room, with the collection of Sigma sewing machines made in Elgoibar.

Highlights

• Mid-19th-century machining workshop with machines in operation
• Medieval hall on smithing and the arms-making tradition
• Collection of Sigma sewing machines made in Elgoibar
• Free audio guide in Basque, Spanish and English
• 360º virtual tour on the website

Permanent exhibitions

• Taller de mecanizado – Recreates a machining workshop from the mid-19th century in the region, with lathes, milling machines and drills built by local pioneers and put back into operation.
• Sala medieval: herrería y tradición armera – Space devoted to smithing and the arms-making tradition of the region, the origin of the machine tool sector.
• Sala Patxi Aldabaldetrecu: colección Sigma – Tour of the industrial tradition of Elgoibar and of the company Estarta y Ecenarro, with models of Sigma sewing machines and of other brands such as Alfa and Singer.

Founded

1998

Operated by

Fundación Museo Máquina-Herramienta (Makina Erremintaren Fundazioa)

Admission & discounts

Admission includes the machining workshop, the medieval hall and the Sigma room. Free for museum friends. The audio guide is optional and costs nothing.

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 hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Spaces for lectures, presentations, company meetings, lunches and concerts: machining workshop, smithing area, Patxi Aldabaldetrecu room and Sigma room. Capacity depends on the type of event.

Plan your visit