Castelao Building of the Pontevedra Museum

The Castelao Building is one of the main venues of the Museo de Pontevedra, standing in the historic centre of Pontevedra in Galicia, Spain. This early-21st-century structure adds a large modern exhibition space to a museum otherwise scattered across older buildings in the old town.

Where is it and how do you get there?

The Castelao Building sits on the corner of Padre Amoedo Carballo street and Sierra street, at the north-eastern edge of Pontevedra's old town. It rises on the site of the former vegetable garden of the city's Jesuit college, directly behind the college itself and the Church of San Bartolomé. Because of this position, the building is an easy walk from the main squares of the old town — just a few minutes from the historic core, making it a natural stop while exploring central Pontevedra on foot.

What is the story behind the building?

The idea for a new museum building was announced on 2 May 2003, during the opening of an extension to the neighbouring Fernández López building. The museum's director revealed plans for a further building between Padre Amoedo Carballo and Sierra streets, driven by the Museo de Pontevedra's growing shortage of exhibition space for its permanent collections and temporary shows.

Construction ran from 2004 to 2008, based on a design by architects Eduardo Pesquera and Jesús Ulargui. The building first opened its doors in July 2008, when its temporary exhibition space hosted an Art Biennial dedicated to the Maghreb. The permanent-collection museography took considerably longer to complete, and the building only opened in full to the public on 4 January 2013 — a full decade after the project was first announced.

The building received its current name on 2 December 2021, when it was dedicated to Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao, one of the founders of the Museo de Pontevedra and a key figure of 20th-century Galician culture.

What will you find inside?

The building spans six floors and roughly 10,000 square metres. Inside are halls for both permanent and temporary exhibitions, restoration and mounting workshops, collection storage rooms, a cafeteria, an auditorium, and several multipurpose spaces used for cultural and educational events. This scale makes the Castelao Building the modern hub of the wider Museo de Pontevedra complex, complementing the museum's older, historic buildings scattered through the old town.

When is the best time to visit?

Since the Museo de Pontevedra is spread across several separate buildings within the old town, it is worth allowing extra time to also visit the museum's other venues nearby. Before travelling, check the museum's official website for current opening hours and the schedule of temporary exhibitions, since the shows in the Castelao Building rotate periodically alongside new artistic events.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Castelao, and why is the building named after him? Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao was one of the founders of the Museo de Pontevedra. The building was dedicated to him in December 2021, having previously operated without a distinct name of its own.

How is this building different from the rest of the Museo de Pontevedra? It is the newest and largest venue in the museum complex, purpose-built for large-scale temporary and permanent exhibitions, unlike the museum's older buildings, which occupy historic townhouses in the old town.

Why did it take so long between the initial plan and the full opening? Construction itself ran from 2004 to 2008, but the building could only open fully to visitors once the permanent-collection museography was completed — that happened on 4 January 2013, more than ten years after the project was first announced.

Does the building host events beyond exhibitions? Yes, it includes an auditorium and multipurpose spaces that the museum uses for cultural and educational events alongside its exhibitions.