Museo Naval de San Fernando

The museum was opened in 1992 as a branch of the Maritime Museum of Madrid, but its history began two centuries earlier. In 1769, the Office of the Spanish Maritime Department was moved from Cadiz to the Royal Island of Leon (Real Isla de León), on which the city of San Fernando is now located. In 1792, an order was issued by the Maritime Department to preserve objects of cultural and scientific interest. Thus, the first collections of ship models, weapons, nautical charts and navigation instruments appeared at the library of the Maritime Academy, some of which became the basis of the museum in Madrid. Two hundred years later, the Palace of the Captain General in San Fernando received an extension, which housed the newly opened museum. The museum tells about the history of the Navy's base in the Gulf of Cadiz, about the navy's participation in military operations and scientific expeditions. Here you will see many models of ships from different eras, from the caravels of Columbus to a modern aircraft carrier, samples of weapons, navigation and optical devices. It is not difficult to find the museum, you need to walk from the tourist information office along Calle Real Street two blocks east until you see a two-story palace, after which turn left onto Calle Escaño, where the entrance to the museum is located. At first, I mistakenly entered the main portal on Real Street, and was surprised, but it turned out that the fleet base management (Comandancia de Armada) is located here. Apparently, they have long been accustomed to such mistakes, because the smiling officer on duty came out with me and pointed the way. The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Formally, admission to the museum is free, but you will be offered to make a contribution for its maintenance in the amount of three euros. The museum is not very big, but I spent about two hours in it.