The phrase "un museo para ver y tocar," is found on the museum's website and brochures, meaning a museum where you can see and touch things. This museum is the first of its kind in Spain, and it opened on December 14, 1992. The building is easy to spot, as it features the ONCE logo with a bright yellow strip across the top.
After we had signed in downstairs, we took the elevator up to the museum. When we exited the elevator and headed towards the main desk, a voice recording said that people had entered the museum. This way, the blind woman working the front desk would know we were there. She gave us a brief run-down of the museum, which I later translated to my grandma and sister.
The museum was split into three main sections: salas de maquetas, the room of scale models (of buildings); salas de obras de artistas, rooms of works made by blind or visually impaired artists; and sala de material tiflológico, the room of materials used by blind people through history.
Sala de maquetas
We started in the sala de maquetas. When we walked through the doorway to enter that section, a recorded voice said that we were now entering the sala de maquetas. This allows ciegos, bind people, to know where they are going while visiting the museum, as well as the woman working to know where the visitors are.
This was one of my favorite rooms, and you'll soon know why. It was filled with models of famous European, world, and Spanish buildings. You could touch all of the models and each contained a booklet in print and in braille, which the sister so nicely shows here (next to the leaning tower of Pisa):
Leaning tower of Pisa ONCE museo tiflológico, Madrid |
Booklet in braille and print ONCE museo tiflológico, Madrid |
Eiffel Tower ONCE museo tiflológico, Madrid |
It was really exciting to see lots of the places I had visited in Spain during my two years there (and some landmarks I have yet to see!), especially the model of El Escorial, where I had just visited with my grandma and sister the day before. So I made them pose in a picture:
El Escorial ONCE museo tifloógico, Madrid |
We had seen the Roman aqueduct in Segovia the previous day, as well:
Roman aqueduct in Segovia ONCE museo tiflológico, Madrid |
Here I am with my one of my favorite Madrid monuments, Puerta de Alcalá:
Puerta de Alcalá ONCE museo tiflológico, Madrid |
Salas de obras de artistas
We exited that first room and headed across the way to two room featuring art made by blind or severely visually impaired people. Again, a recorded voice sounded every time we walked through a doorway. Here were the pieces that caught my eye in this room:
Las Zapatillas Viejas (Patxi Ruiz) ONCE museo tiflológico, Madrid |
África verde (Pilar Lasierra) ONCE museo tiflológico, Madrid |
Gallos de pelea (Idoia Díaz Cámara) ONCE museo tiflológico, Madrid |
Sala de material tiflológico
We walked down some stairs to get to the last room, which featured some materials and tools used in daily life throughout the history of the blind. This exhibit also included multiple displays of old ONCE lottery tickets, of course.
Has anyone else been to this museum? What about a museum for the blind in a country other than Spain?
IF YOU GO...
What: ONCE Museo Tiflológico
Where: c/ La Coruña, 18
Metro: Estrecho (line 1)
Hours: 10:00 - 14:00 Tuesday - Saturday, 17:00 - 20:00 Tuesday - Friday; closed Mondays and Sundays
Price: Free (Must present your D.N.I. or passport)
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