Cerralbo Museum, Aristocratic palace museum in Argüelles district, Madrid, Spain
Museo Cerralbo is an aristocratic palace museum in the Argüelles district of Madrid that houses the extensive private collection of the 17th Marquess of Cerralbo. The neoclassical building spans several floors and presents paintings, sculptures, armor and archaeological finds within the family's original living quarters.
The residence was built in the late 19th century for the 17th Marquess of Cerralbo, who expanded his collection until his death in 1922. Following his will, the house opened as a public museum in 1944 and preserved the complete interior of an aristocratic household from that era.
The rooms preserve the personal arrangement of the marquess, who organized his collections according to his own taste and specified they remain unchanged. The mirrored ballroom still shows the aristocratic preference for opulent receptions and social events in the late 1800s.
Access is through a staircase spanning several floors, with not all areas wheelchair accessible. Visitors receive multilingual booklets for guidance, as the museum maintains its historical presentation without modern signage.
The collection includes one of Madrid's first bathrooms with running water, installed in the late 1800s. The original arrangement of objects follows the marquess's personal wishes, allowing visitors to experience the museum as though walking through an inhabited home.
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