Spain’s usually busy streets and bustling landmarks have come to a standstill after the Spanish government imposed a nationwide lockdown in a bid to contain the coronavirus epidemic that is turining into one of the worst in Europe's history.
Having a drink with some mates in the local bar is out of bounds, as well as a trip to the cinema or the local museum, since all bars, restaurants, cinemas and museums in Spain are closed until further notice. But fear not! The increasing online circulation of the #YoMeQuedoEnCasa and #QuedateEnCasa hashtags (translating to English as “I’m staying at home” and "Stay at home" respectively) means that museums and other cultural centres have also jumped on the bandwagon and taking advantage of the situation to go virtual. Let’s have a look at the best “virtual plans” on offer in Spain, with Madrid's museums leading the way, that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own sofa, no matter where in Spain or in the world you are.
La Casa Encendida
La Casa Encendida, a cultural centre located in Madrid, has proposed to continue sharing culture with everyone who wants to enjoy it from March 13th to 26th. In order to entertain all those who are housebound in the capital and beyond. The centre has designed a cultural, social and educational programme that can be enjoyed online and that will be renewed daily.
The contents that form part of the #YoMeQuedoEnCasa movement include concerts, contemporary cartoon titles, guided tours of the exhibitions, Spotify playlists, interviews with some of the artists, philosophers and activists that have passed through the almost 20 years of events in La Casa Encendida, among other things. Also taking into account that there is no school and the kids are also at home, the online platform also includes educational content developed by the education department of La Casa Encendida.
El Museo Arqueológico Nacional
Madrid’s National Archaeological Museum has also gone digital so that the public can still enjoy wonderful historical collections from the comfort of their own homes. Visiting the National Archaeological Museum from anywhere in the world is now possible thanks to MAN Virtual. The Madrid museum, in close collaboration with Samsung, within the last few years launched the MAN Virtual application which is now going to be able to be used at its full potential. This experience does not only allow users from any country to enter its rooms remotely via any device but also to prepare the visit in advance or the possibility of using this project with children as an educational experience.
El Museo del Prado
Spain’s most famous and most important museum has been reinventing itself for years to attract the attention of adults, young people and children. The popularity of the Prado is endless and in 2019 the prestigious art centre received more than 3.2 million visitors within its walls, all eager to see the famous works by Goya, Velázquez, Rubens and El Bosco. Now the Museo Nacional del Prado is also offering access to its rooms through a virtual tour in which users will navigate among the thousands of classical works of art on offer. Likewise, in its Instagram account, the museum is also offering visits of one, two or three hours through the museum, as well as interviews and commentary from personalities like the director of the museum himself, Miguel Falomir.
El Museo Reina Sofía
After the measures adopted by the Spanish government, the Reina Sofia Museum is just one of a long list of cultural closures in Spain. The world famous museum has seized the moment to launch new online content, a project that has been years in the pipeline, just waiting to be discovered by sofa bound residents in Spain.
“Today, more than ever, we want to make known and make available to virtual visitors a series of materials that will introduce them to the Museum from a different perspective”. This new online content includes 170 videos of present and past exhibitions, another 70 of various activities that have been developed in the museum and audio tracks to give the experience more depth.
El Museo Nacional Thyssen Bornemisza
Yet another Madrid museum has taken a leap into the virtual world. The Thyssen Bornemisza Museum has opened its online content, usually used for educational purposes, to the general public. Services include educational material, courses and online communities so that art lovers can connect with other like minded individuals. The museum has stated that over the coming days and weeks, it will be working non-stop to improve the virtual experience so that online visitors will be able to enjoy increasing content in order to overcome the boredom of being at home 24/7. More virtual exhibitions will become available so that you can enjoy the full Thyssen experience.
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