Museo del Olivar y el Aceite
Municipal museum in a 19th-century olive oil mill in Baena, with restored machinery in operation, uses of oil and a collection of more than 3,000 labels.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum occupies the former mill of Don José Alcalá Santaella, which operated as an olive oil mill until 1959. Most of the machinery dates from the mid-19th century, and during each harvest a team of three millers worked there, grinding two or three thousand kilos of olives a day from the groves of the Chitajillo and Vela areas.
The building has more than 800 square metres of exhibition space spread over two floors. On the ground floor are the reception, a multipurpose room with audiovisuals and the complete mill, restored and in working order: a stone grinding set with two large truncated-cone stones, the thermobeater, the hydraulic press with its trolley from the La Cordobesa foundry and the four-piston hydraulic pump. The floor is completed by a cellar room with large metal tanks and a room dedicated to the history and evolution of the olive grove in Baena.
The upper floor houses the library, the oil workshop and several spaces showing the uses of oil as a source of light and heat, of electrical energy, as food and for its dietary properties, as well as the symbolic importance of the olive tree, proverbs and folk medicine. The route includes a collection of more than three thousand olive oil labels and ends with a tasting of oils from the Baena Denominación de Origen. It is a municipal museum with an educational purpose.
Highlights
- Complete mill restored and in working order
- Hydraulic press with its trolley from the La Cordobesa foundry
- Uses of oil: light, heat, energy, food and folk medicine
- Collection of more than 3,000 olive oil labels
- Tasting of oils from the Baena Denominación de Origen
Permanent exhibition
- Exposición permanente del Museo del Olivar y el Aceite – Restored mill, history of the olive grove in Baena, uses of oil, library, oil workshop and a collection of more than three thousand labels.
- Operated by
- Ayuntamiento de Baena
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €2 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €1Groups of more than 10 people, pensioners and children under 12 |
| Children & teens | €1Children under 12: €1. |
| Seniors | €1Pensioners. |
| Groups (11+ people) | €1 per personGroups of more than 10 people: €1 per person. |
Rates according to the Ruta Bética Romana portal; to be confirmed with the Baena Tourist Office.
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 at Calle Cañada, 7, in the centre of Baena.
Get directionsAmenities & 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
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Guided visits must be booked in advance at the Baena Tourist Office. The visit ends with a tasting of oils from the Baena Denominación de Origen. |
