Photomuseum. Argazki & Zinema Museoa
Museum in Zarautz on the history and technique of photography and the beginnings of cinema, with cameras, images and a specialised library.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Photomuseum was born from the merger of two collections of photographic instruments and images, owned by Ramón Serras and Leopoldo Zugaza, who gave them up to create the museum. With the support of Zarautz town council, the entity Gipuzkoa Donostia Kutxa and local players, the project was presented in April 1992 with an exhibition showing the design of the future museum at full scale.
In July 1993 it opened its doors on several floors of the municipal building Villa Manuela, and the permanent exhibition was inaugurated in September of that year. In 2003 the town council ceded the entire building and a comprehensive refurbishment was carried out; the museum reopened on 8 November 2005 with a renewed and expanded museographic approach. Since 2006 the permanent exhibition has included materials from the beginnings of cinematography and, later, photographic and film holdings deposited by the Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa and by Gipuzkoa Donostia Kutxa, which gave rise to the current name.
The route runs from pre-photography to digital photography, passes through the genres and uses of photography, and is complemented by a library, a newspaper and periodicals library, an archive, a shop and an educational service. Since its opening the museum has presented more than 300 temporary exhibitions.
Highlights
- Pre-photography and moving images: shadow theatre, magic lanterns, zoetropes and optical toys
- Photographic technique from the daguerreotype to digital photography
- Photographic genres: portrait, landscape, still life and anthropological photography
- Uses of photography and a small projection room on the beginnings of cinema
- Specialised library with more than 6,000 references
Permanent exhibitions
- Prefotografía y la imagen en movimiento – Fourth floor: Eastern and Western shadows, optical boxes, kaleidoscopes, magic lanterns and other optical toys that predate photography.
- La técnica fotográfica. Desde el daguerrotipo hasta la fotografía digital – Third floor: cameras and instruments showing the technical evolution, alongside works that illustrate each process.
- Los géneros fotográficos – Second floor: portrait, landscape, still life, anthropological photography and the nude, and their relationship with the visual arts.
- Founded
- 1993
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €6 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3Young people aged 13 to 18, pensioners, teachers and students, people with disabilities and holders of certain cards (with one companion) |
| Children & teens | €3free up to age 12 · Children under 13: free admission (except groups with a guided visit). Aged 13 to 18: reduced rate. |
| Seniors | €3Pensioners: reduced rate |
| Visitors with disabilities | €3People with disabilities: reduced rate |
| Students & apprentices | €3Teachers and students: reduced rate |
| Groups (6+ people) | €3 per personPrice per person |
| Pack of 12 tickets | €30 |
Free admission: Wednesdays and Fridays (except groups with a guided visit); children under 13 and accredited teachers from the Basque Autonomous Community (CAPV), provided it is not a group with a guided visit
Reduced rate also for holders of the Eusko Ikaskuntza, Fnac, Tarjeta Joven, Nekatur, Hiru3, Asociación Vasca de Periodistas, Red de Museos de la Costa Vasca and Donostia Card cards.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Bus (Lurraldebus) and train (Euskotren, Zarautz station).
San Sebastián-Hondarribia airport is 39.5 km away, Biarritz airport 66 km and Bilbao airport 83 km.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
Shop with publications on photography. The specialised library is on the fourth floor.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided visits require advance booking (943 130 906), with the day and time to be agreed. They can be given in Basque, Spanish or English and are adapted for adults, schoolchildren and people with disabilities. There are educational units for schoolchildren with downloadable material. |
