Numismatic museum in Lobios

The Numismatic Museum of Lobios sits in Fondevila, the administrative seat of the Lobios municipality in Ourense province, in the Baixa Limia region of southern Galicia, right on the border with Portugal.

How do you get there?

The museum occupies part of the town hall building of Lobios, on Estrada de Portugal 27 — the main road connecting Fondevila with the border crossing into Portugal. Since it shares an address with the municipal offices, finding it is simply a matter of heading to the administrative center of the village. The area falls within the Baixa Limia-Serra do Xurés Natural Park, so a stop here fits naturally into a longer day spent exploring the mountainous Galician-Portuguese borderland.

What will you actually see inside?

The exhibition is compact but densely packed, arranging coins, medals and banknotes in chronological order from antiquity through modern times. The collection opens with coins from Ancient Greece dating back to the 3rd century BC, followed by Roman pieces including a triens from 211 BC, minted during the Roman Republic. A separate section is devoted to Iberian coinage — bronze pieces from 180 to 20 BC and silver denarii struck between 120 and 30 BC. The layout lets visitors trace the evolution of currency across the Iberian Peninsula step by step, with no prior numismatic knowledge required to follow along.

Where did this museum come from?

The idea for a permanent numismatic collection in Lobios took shape in the summer of 1993, championed by Jaime Paz, a resident of nearby Compostela (also within the Lobios municipality) and a professional numismatist. The trigger was a themed exhibition of Galician coins, which revealed that the local community had access to a collection worth displaying permanently. The museum was officially inaugurated on 30 July 1996 by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, then president of the Xunta de Galicia — a notably high-profile opening for such a small, municipally run institution.

When should you visit, and what does it cost?

The museum is open Monday to Friday, from 9:00 to 14:00. Admission during these morning hours is free, making it an easy stop for anyone passing through the border region without needing to budget for tickets. It's worth planning ahead, though: like many small municipal cultural venues, its hours are limited, and the doors are typically closed in the afternoons and on weekends.

Who is this museum for?

This is a niche but well-defined attraction — most rewarding for coin collectors, history enthusiasts, and travelers moving through the Baixa Limia area who want a short, substantive cultural stop between hikes in the natural park and visits to nearby border towns. Given its intimate scale, a visit typically takes between 20 and 40 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where exactly is the museum located? Inside the Lobios town hall building, at Estrada de Portugal 27, in the village of Fondevila (postal code 32870), Ourense province.

Is admission free? Yes — during the morning hours when the museum is open, entry is free of charge.

What kind of pieces are on display? A chronologically arranged collection of coins, medals and banknotes, spanning Ancient Greece and the Roman Republic through Iberian bronze and silver coinage up to more modern currency.

What are the opening hours? Monday through Friday, 9:00 to 14:00. The museum is closed on weekends.