Museo del Romanticismo

About the museum

The Museo del Romanticismo arose from the donation made to the State in 1921 by Benigno de la Vega-Inclán, 2nd Marquis of Vega-Inclán, after presenting his collection of paintings, furniture and objects at an exhibition of the Sociedad de Amigos del Arte. It opened in 1924, under the name Museo Romántico, in the palace on Calle de San Mateo, which the State acquired in 1927 as its permanent seat. Among the first donations are two works by Leonardo Alenza given by the Marquis of Cerralbo, and objects belonging to writers such as Larra, Zorrilla and Juan Ramón Jiménez. During the Civil War, Rafael Alberti was director of the museum.

The building is a neoclassical palace built between 1776 and 1779 by the architect Manuel Rodríguez on land belonging to the Marquis of Matallana, with two very symmetrical façades and three courtyards. It was later inhabited by the Counts of la Puebla del Maestre and, from 1921, housed the Royal Commission for Tourism directed by Vega-Inclán. The museum closed in 2001 for a comprehensive refurbishment and reopened in 2009 under its current name, with a new arrangement of the rooms and a renewed exhibition discourse.

As a house museum, it holds more than 17,000 items of painting, drawing, prints, sculpture, furniture, photography and decorative arts, as well as a library of about 15,000 volumes and a historical archive. Its pieces illustrate the society and art of Romanticism in Spain, and one of the most representative works is “Las sátiras del suicidio romántico” by Leonardo Alenza. Improvement works are currently under way and several rooms are closed.

Highlights

• Recreation of a 19th-century middle-class home in a neoclassical palace from 1779
• More than 17,000 items of painting, sculpture, furniture, photography and decorative arts
• “Las sátiras del suicidio romántico” by Leonardo Alenza, donated by the Marquis of Cerralbo
• Café del Jardín beside the Magnolio Garden, the palace's historic garden
• Activities and trail games for families

Permanent exhibition

• Exposición permanente del Museo del Romanticismo – Tour of the rooms of a house museum with painting, drawing, prints, sculpture, furniture, photography and decorative arts of Spanish Romanticism (1833–1868); several rooms are closed for works.

Founded

1924

Operated by

Ministerio de Cultura

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Saturdays from 14:00, all Sundays, International Day for Monuments and Sites, 16 to 23 May (International Museum Day), 12 October and 6 December.

Admission to the museum is free until 31 October 2026. Tickets are bought at the ticket office; there is no online sale. Free admission, with accreditation, is also available to people in a legal situation of unemployment, teaching staff, official tourist guides and journalists in the performance of their duties, and members of ICOM and of the Museum Friends' Association. The Bono Cultural Joven is accepted.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

Due to ongoing works, the museum is provisionally not accessible for wheelchair users, and the adapted access is not available. Under normal conditions there is an adapted entrance on Calle de la Beneficencia, 14, a lift for one wheelchair and a wheelchair loan; for safety only one person with reduced mobility is admitted at a time. There is an induction loop in the public areas and four individual loops at the ticket office for activities. Adapted guided tours, a guide with pictograms and an adapted glossary are offered.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Baby changing facilities

The museum programmes workshop visits and activities for children and families (for example for children aged 6 to 12 or 4 to 9, always with an adult), and offers free trail games and self-guided routes for touring the museum as a family, available at the ticket office. Baby buggies are left at the cloakroom, where approved buggies or baby carriers can be lent. The baby-changing table is in the adapted toilet on the ground floor, and the Jardín del Magnolio serves as a rest area.

Getting there & parking

Nearby BiciMAD stations: Calle de Hortaleza, 75 and Calle de Barceló, 9.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check

Café del Jardín, an independent service of the museum with a tearoom beside the Jardín del Magnolio (Tuesday to Saturday, 10:30–19:30 in summer and 10:30–17:45 in winter; Sundays 10:00–14:30). Bookshop-shop on the ground floor (Tuesday to Saturday 10:00–20:30; Sundays 10:00–15:00). Bulky items, including coats, are not admitted and must be left in the cloakroom.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Spaces for presentations, concerts, lectures and meetings (auditorium, Café del Jardín and garden), as well as private visits to the museum. Requests are sent to prensa.romanticismo@cultura.gob.es; the hire is governed by the public prices order for the museums of the Ministry of Culture.

Plan your visit