Museo Histórico Militar de A Coruña

About the museum

The museum's origins lie in the former Artillery Park and Workshops of A Coruña (Parque y Maestranza de Artillería), where in 1858 a collection of models of pieces, carriages and machines was gathered which, together with weapons recovered from the Carlist Wars, formed the nucleus of the museum. After the Civil War it was enriched with a large collection of weapons and later with flags, mementoes and instruments from units of the former Northwest Military Region (Región Militar Noroeste), disbanded in the mid-1980s. In 1988 it obtained the status of regional military museum.

After the Maestranza was dissolved, the museum moved to the former Artillery Headquarters building in Plaza de Carlos I, and it was inaugurated at this site on 27 May 1992. The site occupies part of the former convent of San Francisco, the setting for visits by kings and for the Cortes of 1520, and the building was later used as a munitions store, a prison, a Guardia Civil barracks and an Artillery headquarters. The extension and refurbishment of 2009, the result of an agreement between the Ministry of Defence and the town council, doubled the exhibition capacity. In 2011 more than 400 objects from the museum of the former Arms Factory (Fábrica de Armas) were incorporated.

The permanent exhibition brings together some 1,700 items from the mid-18th century to the present, with particular attention to A Coruña, Galicia and the military units of Asturias and Castile and León. It is organised into thematic rooms (weapons, models, uniforms, laboratory) and historical-chronological rooms.

Highlights

• About 1,700 objects on the history of the Spanish Army since the mid-18th century
• Collections of weapons, models, uniforms, flags and decorations
• Special attention to the military history of A Coruña and Galicia
• Building on the site of the former convent of San Francisco
• Free admission and guided tours

Permanent exhibition

• Colección permanente – Around 1,700 objects on the Spanish Army since the mid-18th century, spread across thematic rooms (weapons, models, uniforms, laboratory) and historical-chronological rooms.

Operated by

Ministerio de Defensa (Ejército de Tierra)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Shop and bookshop run by the Friends of the Military Museum Association.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit