Museum of History

Located in one of the great buildings of Madrid's Baroque architecture, the former Hospicio de San Fernando, this space, created as a Municipal Museum in 1929 and renamed the Museum of the History of Madrid in 2007, exhibits one of the best examples of the historical evolution of Madrid and offers a global vision of the arts, industries, daily life and customs of its inhabitants from when it was chosen as the capital of Spain in 1561 to the present day. In 1919, the building was declared a National Artistic Monument. Following a lengthy renovation of both the building and its collection, which concluded in late 2014, the Museum of History now displays over 60,000 objects of diverse nature related to Madrid, including its collections of paintings, prints, maps, models, drawings, photographs, postcards, sculptures, porcelain, gold and silver work, fans, furniture, weapons, coins, and medals. The Baroque portal of its façade, restored between April and October 2025, was designed and built by Pedro de Ribera between 1721 and 1726. Constructed primarily of granite and dolomite, with some metal elements and dedicated to Saint Ferdinand, it is considered one of the finest examples of Madrid Baroque architecture. Furthermore, since the August 15, 2025, Museum of History. Gil de Palacio Model: Following the completion of the restoration work on the Gil de Palacio model, a large-scale cartographic representation of 19th-century Madrid, considered one of the most accurate cartographic documents of the period, it is once again on public display in the new location of the cartography room on level -1 of the museum. Among its numerous pieces, highlights include Francisco de Goya's Allegory of the City of Madrid, Luca Giordano's Virgin with Saint Ferdinand, the Buen Retiro Porcelain collection, the historical cartography collection, the Mesonero Romanos house ensemble, objects from the workshop of the artist Gutiérrez Solana, and the collection of historical photographs. The museum also houses the History Museum Chapel, a cultural space that hosts an interesting program including concerts and lectures. In addition, its shop/bookstore offers a variety of stationery, gifts, and educational materials. and educational materials, and a fair trade line. It also has a publishing catalog of titles related to the history of Madrid.

The Hospice of San Fernando is the work of Pedro Ribera, who also designed the Conde Duque Barracks and the Toledo Bridge.