Free admission, extended opening times and special activities at Museums for National Day of Spain

On an exceptional basis, the National Library of Spain will open its General Reading Room to the public (from 10:00 to 14:00). This space is usually reserved for researchers. Furthermore, the exhibitions entitled "¡Beatos, Percebes y Mecachis! Miles de años de tebeos en la Biblioteca Nacional"and "AjedreZ. Arte de silencio. Ocho siglos de cultura" will be open to the public at the National Library of Spain Museum.

The General Archive of the Indies (Seville) and the General Archive of Simancas (Valladolid) will open to the public to offer access to their current exhibitions: "Murillo" and "Cuatro Siglos de Ingeniería Española en Ultramar", at the General Archive of the Indies; and "Espías, Servicios Secretos y escritura cifrada en la Monarquía Hispánica" at the General Archive of Simancas.

Free museums

The 16 State museums managed by the ministerial department offering free admission are: The National Museum of Roman Art in Mérida; the Altamira Museum (Santillana del Mar, Cantabria); the National Archaeological Museum, Fashion Museum, National Museum of Decorative Arts, Sorolla Museum, National Museum of Anthropology, Cerralbo Museum, Museum of Romanticism and the Museum of the Americas in Madrid; the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology (ARQUA) in Cartagena (Murcia); the El Greco Museum and Sephardic Museum in Toledo; the González Martí National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts in Valencia; and the National Museum of Sculpture and the Casa de Cervantes Museum in Valladolid.

Nine of them will extend their opening times this year until late into the evening: Sorolla Museum, Museum of Anthropology, Museum of Romanticism, Museum of the Americas, Altamira Museum, Museum of Roman Art, "González Martí National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts, National Museum of Sculpture and the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology (ARQUA).

Admission will be free to the temporary exhibitions at all the museums. Hence, among others, it will be possible to see "Baltasar Lobo. Un moderno entre los antiguos" at the National Museum of Sculpture; "Sorolla. Un jardín para pintar" at the Sorolla Museum; and "La Gloriosa. La revolución que no fue" at the Museum of Romanticism.

The following link contains all scheduled programmes at State museums for the month of October:

http://www.mecd.gob.es/cultura-mecd/en/areas-cultura/museos/programacion-museos/actividades.html

Special activities at the State museums

Various special activities have been scheduled for these festivities, specifically at the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology (ARQUA), the Museum of the Americas and the National Museum of Anthropology.

At the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology (ARQUA), a Habaneras concert will be performed by the Coral Carthagonova on Friday 12 October. It will take place in the permanent exhibition hall of the museum at 12:00 and admission will be free.

In turn, the Museum of the Americas will celebrate a day of introduction to American cultural heritage, followed by a professional guided tour of the storerooms and restoration laboratory. This will take place on Thursday, 11 October, at 11:00 for 24 visitors.

Similarly, the National Museum of Anthropology has scheduled a themed tour entitled "Guinea en el Museo" for Thursday, 11 October, which will recall the national festival and independence of this country on 12 October. The celebration of its 50th anniversary will allow people to learn about Guinean cultures, its history and its multicultural reality today thanks to a significant selection of Bubi and Fang objects from the Africa Hall.

Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen Museums all offer free admission

The Prado National Museum, the Reina Sofía National Museum and Art Centre and the National Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum will also join in this commemoration of the National Day of Spain by offering free admission to the general public. At the Prado Museum, it will also be possible to visit the exhibition entitled "Bartolomé Bermejo" as well as the permanent collection, while the Reina Sofía Museum will be offering admission to its exhibitions entitled " Behind the door, another invisible door" by Dorothea Tanning, "El mapa y el territorio" by Luigi Ghirri and "Una aproximación a Afal. Donación Autric-Tamayo", among others.

Non official translation