Numantino Museum in Soria
The Museo Numatino is a museum located on El Collado street in Soria. It is a cultural institution that preserves, restores, researches, and popularizes the history and art of the province of Soria through various exhibitions and archaeological and artistic collections. This museum is particularly dedicated to the monuments of Numancia, Tiermes, and Uxama, the three most important archaeological sites in the region. This museum is also part of a network of museums that coordinates the activities of other museums and archaeological sites in the province.
The Museo Numatino was created from the merger of two old Sorian museums: the Provincial Museum and the Numantine Museum. The first was established in the 19th century as a result of the Commission of Historical-Artistic Heritage, which arose after the secularization of church goods in 1835, and opened as a museum in 1913.
The second was created parallel to the investigations of the Numancia site, initiated in the 70s of the 19th century and developed mainly between 1906 and 1923. In 1914 a museum was created, which opened five years later, on September 18, 1919, occupying a building designed by architect Manuel Aníbal Álvarez, initially financed by Ramón Benito Aceña on lands donated by the city council of Soria.
In 1932, the Provincial Museum changed its name to the Celtiberian Museum, which in 1941 was absorbed by the Numantine Museum, although it maintained its independence until 1968, when the final and complete merger of both centers took place, first calling itself the Provincial Museum of Soria, then the Museum of Soria, and finally the Numantine Museum of Soria. In 1989, a comprehensive reform was carried out, in which the exhibition area was expanded to 7000 m².
The Museo Numatino is housed in a beautiful mid-19th-century building located on the main street of Soria, El Collado. This building has three floors and is adorned with a classic facade with stone pilasters and balconies.
The facade bears the inscription “Museo Numatino” and the city’s coat of arms. Inside the building, there are various rooms and spaces that serve as a place for exhibiting and storing museum collections and exhibits. On the ground floor, there is a room where you can see the archaeological collection from the Paleolithic, Neolithic, Bronze, and Iron Ages, with an emphasis on Celtiberian culture.
On the same floor, there is also a room where you can see the archaeological collection from the Roman era, with an emphasis on the monuments of Numancia, Tiermes, and Uxama. On the first floor, there is a room where you can see the artistic collection from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, and contemporary times. On the same floor, there is also a room where you can see the ethnographic collection, related to the traditions and customs of the people of Soria.
On the second floor, there is a room where you can see an exhibition dedicated to Antonio Machado, who was a great lover and connoisseur of the history and art of Soria. On the same floor, there is also a room where you can see an exhibition dedicated to other writers and poets who were inspired by the history and art of Soria, such as Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Gerardo Diego, or Miguel Delibes.
