Museo del Automóvil de Melilla

Museo del Automóvil de Melilla was a car museum in the Spanish enclave of Melilla, built around the private collection of local enthusiast Miguel Ángel Hernández, who had been gathering vehicles since 1970. It occupied a converted industrial building at Carretera Hidum 46, in the Zoco district, and for over a decade stood as one of the city's more unusual attractions.

What did the museum show?

The exhibition spread across nearly a thousand square meters in three separate buildings — a display hall, a restoration workshop, and a storage area. Visitors could see 35 cars, 12 motorcycles, and 2 motorcycles with sidecars, most dating from the 20th century. Alongside the vehicles, 28 information panels traced the history of the automobile in Melilla, using photographs and documents to show how motor vehicles reshaped everyday life in the enclave over the decades.

How did the museum come to close?

The museum opened its doors in 2007 and welcomed more than 28,000 visitors over the course of its operation. Even so, in 2021, after 14 years, the institution shut down. City officials cited limited tourist interest and a cut to the museum's annual subsidy, from 30,000 to 15,000 euros, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The formal process of winding down the institution was expected to stretch over several more years. Hernández himself said he intended to keep the space open informally to anyone interested and to carry on restoring the historic vehicles, with the eventual goal of placing the collection with an institution able to guarantee its long-term preservation.

Is it still worth a visit?

Because the museum no longer operates as a formal institution with regular opening hours, it's worth checking locally before planning a trip to see whether informal visits are currently possible. The building and the story behind the collection remain a striking example of how a private collector's passion can function as a city attraction for years before running into the limits of public funding.

Why does this place stand out?

Melilla, a Spanish enclave on the northern coast of Africa, is rarely associated with car culture, yet for well over a decade it hosted a museum dedicated entirely to cars and motorcycles. Hernández's collection told a distinctly local chapter of automotive history — vehicles that actually drove the streets of the city, rather than exhibits imported solely to fill a display case.

Frequently asked questions

Is Museo del Automóvil de Melilla still open as a museum? Not in the full sense — the institution formally ceased operating in 2021 after 14 years, though its founder said he would keep the space accessible informally and continue restoration work.

Where was the museum located? At Carretera Hidum 46, in the Zoco district of Melilla, inside a converted industrial building.

What did the collection include? 35 cars, 12 motorcycles, 2 sidecar motorcycles, and 28 historical panels on 20th-century motoring in Melilla, spread across roughly a thousand square meters in three buildings.

Why did the museum close? Local authorities pointed to low tourist interest and a pandemic-era cut to the city's annual subsidy, which made it impossible to keep funding the museum under its previous model.