C
apital
Arrecife has finally re-opened its History Museum,
located in perhaps the most spectacular and historical
part of the capital – the Castillo de San Gabriel. The
Gazette took a visit to see what’s on display…
Museum
The Castillo de San Gabriel
The museum is
officially open
he Museum was formally
opened at a sparkling night time
ceremony attended by local
dignitaries and culture lovers on
10th December. The capital’s
iconic fortress was lit up beautifully and visitors
got a chance to glimpse the museum, but it
wasn´t until the attraction opened to the public
the following morning that it was possible to
see the museum in daylight.
By 10 am a typical mix of German, Spanish
and British tourists were queuing up to enter up,
and a constant trickle of arriving visitors could be
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| January 2015 | The Gazette
seen travelling across the
two walkways that link the
castle with the mainland,
including a group of
cruise tourists zipping
along on Segways.
Inside, limited space
has dictated that the
displays are fairly compact. There are a large
number of informative panels in Spanish,
alongside painting and typical costumes from
throughout the ages. There’s a display of local
seashells, some carved boats, examples of the
important crops of orchilla and barilla; and most impressive
of all, a replica of a Canarian mummy, showing how the
aboriginal inhabitants of the island buried their dead.
There are accounts of battles and the island´s long
struggle with pirates. Once panel lists the long series of
attacks by English privateers such as Sir Walter Raleigh and
George Clifford, who attacked and ransacked Teguise,
losing 60 of his 500 men, in 1598 – the year after
Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet.
Although small, the location is perfect for the exhibition
as the Castle itself is also historically important – it was
built in 1591 and used for centuries as a lookout point
and military fort. Some of the cannons that furnished the
fort are still visible, as is the bell that was used to warn the
city of attacks.
Pablo Atoche is the man in charge of organising the
museum, updating and modernizing a project that was first
undertaken by Juan Brito.
The opening of the museum is
undoubtedly good news for Arrecife, which
has already increased its touristic appeal
with the opening of the new Marina
Lanzarote. To access the museum, the
ancient walkway that passes beneath the
Puente de las Bolas – a gateway
composed of two columns bearing large
basalt spheres – has also been renovated.
The museum plans to have full English
and German translations of the informative
panels available as soon as possible, as well as a
Smartphone app in various languages.
Entry to the museum is free until the end of January, after
which it will be up to €3, depending on age and residency
status. It´s open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.