Casa del Hombre (La Coruña)

Domus is an interactive science museum in A Coruña, sitting right on the city's seafront promenade with views over the Atlantic Ocean. It was the world's first museum devoted to the human being in a comprehensive, monographic way — not scattered facts about the body or the senses, but the whole of human experience treated as the subject of the exhibition itself. The museum opened on 7 April 1995, during the term of mayor Francisco Vázquez, and today forms one of three pillars of the city's science-museum network, Museos Científicos Coruñeses, alongside Casa de las Ciencias and Aquarium Finisterrae.

What is Domus?

Domus belongs to a city-run family of science venues that together make up one of Galicia's more compelling educational and touristic offerings. Where Aquarium Finisterrae focuses on marine life and Casa de las Ciencias covers the sciences more broadly, Domus is the one museum of the three built entirely around the human being — the body, the senses, and our place in nature. That focus made it a pioneering concept worldwide at the time it opened.

How do you get to Domus?

The museum stands on the paseo marítimo, A Coruña's main seafront promenade, making it easy to pair with a walk along the coast. Thanks to its shoreline position (coordinates roughly 43.378° N, 8.407° W), the building is a clear landmark visible from the promenade itself, useful for orienting a visit to this part of the city. It's worth planning the route to take in the other two venues of the Museos Científicos Coruñeses network as well, since their shared proximity makes it realistic to see all three during a single stay in the city.

What will you see inside?

The exhibition programme at Domus is built around the human being as both organism and social creature — covering how the body and senses work through to the biological and evolutionary sides of human life. The interactive format, present from the museum's opening, set it apart in 1995 from the traditional glass-case natural history displays of its era, and it remains the museum's defining trait among science museums in the region today.

When should you visit?

As an indoor, human-scale museum, Domus works well as part of an itinerary regardless of season — it's an attraction that suits both a sunny day spent walking the promenade and a day with poorer weather. Given its coastal setting, it pairs naturally with a full day exploring A Coruña's waterfront, including the nearby Aquarium Finisterrae.

Frequently asked questions

How is Domus different from A Coruña's other science museums? Domus is the only one of the city's three science museums built entirely around the human being — the body and its place in nature — while Aquarium Finisterrae covers marine life and Casa de las Ciencias covers the sciences more broadly.

When did the museum open? Domus opened on 7 April 1995, during the term of A Coruña's then-mayor, Francisco Vázquez.

Can Domus be combined with other sights in a single day? Yes — the museum is part of the Museos Científicos Coruñeses network together with Casa de las Ciencias and Aquarium Finisterrae, which makes it straightforward to plan a visit to all three during one stay in the city.

Exactly where is Domus located? The museum sits directly on A Coruña's seafront promenade, in an easily accessible spot along the city's coastline.