Museo Marítimo del Cantábrico

About the museum

The museum's first antecedent is the Estación Marítima de Zoología y Botánica Experimentales (Experimental Marine Zoology and Botany Station), created by royal decree in 1886 and popularly known as “La Biología”, which in 1907 had a temporary building beside the Molnedo dock with a small zoological museum and an aquarium. Another antecedent was the Museo Naval del Real Astillero de Guarnizo, founded in 1948, whose collections were partly transferred to the Monumento a la Marina de Castilla and to the Indiano.

The present museum grew out of the interest of Rafael González Echegaray, president of the Provincial Council of Santander, and Orestes Cendrero, director of the Oceanographic Laboratory, who signed an agreement in 1972 to build a museum and an oceanographic laboratory. Works began in 1975 to designs by the architects Ángel Hernández Morales and Vicente Roig Forné, and the museum opened in April 1981 under the direction of José Luis Casado Soto. In early 2000 it closed temporarily for an extension and major refurbishment, and it reopened in May 2003.

The current façade, of Corten steel, glass and trespa, encloses the old building and the new block by José María Páez; it has four floors and 8,500 m². Entry is through the Plaza de los Calafates, and on the semi-basement level is the large tank of the marine aquariums. The collections range from natural history, archaeology and ethnography to shipbuilding, cartography, navigation instruments and photography, always in relation to the Cantabrian Sea.

Highlights

• Marine aquariums on the semi-basement level
• Collections of navigation instruments, nautical charts and ship models
• Holdings of the former Estación Marítima de Zoología y Botánica Experimentales
• Corten steel building facing Santander bay
• Workshops and educational activities for schoolchildren and families

Permanent exhibitions

• Acuarios marinos – Large tank of marine aquariums on the semi-basement level, lit by the skylight that opens onto the Plaza de los Calafates.
• Colecciones del Cantábrico – Holdings of natural history, archaeology, ethnography, shipbuilding, cartography, navigation instruments, boats and photography linked to the Cantabrian Sea and other seas.

Founded

1981

Operated by

Gobierno de Cantabria

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Tuesdays from 14:00, with mandatory advance booking by telephone (942 274 962) or online; groups and duplicate bookings are not accepted.

Prices per person. Free admission from 0 to 3 years.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum has a ramp, a lift, parking for people with reduced mobility and an accessible service, as well as a wheelchair available on the first floor. There is nearby parking.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum organises creative workshops for children, such as “Marearte”, and school programmes.

Getting there & parking

The museum lies between the San Martín headland and the Playa de los Peligros, on the shore of the bay; access is via the east façade, through the Plaza de los Calafates.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The café and restaurant are closed until further notice. There is a shop.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit