San Telmo Museoa, Basque society museum in Old Town, San Sebastián, Spain
San Telmo Museoa is a museum in the Old Town of San Sebastián housed in a former 16th-century Dominican monastery. The building combines Gothic and Renaissance elements with modern additions and holds over 26,000 objects documenting Basque society.
The building was constructed as a Dominican monastery in the 16th century and later converted into a museum founded in 1902 and opened to the public in 1932. It underwent major renovations and reopened in its current form in 2011.
The museum displays how Basque communities lived through its collections of everyday objects, religious works, and maritime traditions. Visitors can observe how people worked with the sea and practiced their faith throughout the region's history.
The museum spreads across several historical buildings with exhibition spaces, workshops, and dining facilities for visitors. The complex is located in the Old Town and is easily accessible on foot with clear signage.
The museum's modern extension features a plant-covered facade that blends with Mount Urgull in the background. This creates a visual link between contemporary architecture and the natural landscape behind it.
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