What to do · Caravaca de la Cruz
Wine Horses Museum
Information
- From
- €3 per person
- Duration
- 45 min
- Season
- All year
- Who it's for
- Families
The house of the Muso Melgarejos
The museum occupies an 18th-century Baroque manor house at calle Gregorio Javier 21, which belonged to the Muso Muñoz Melgarejo family and has been entirely restored. It is in the old town, a step from the plaza de los Caballos del Vino and a few minutes' walk from the plaza del Arco, so it fits into the same walk as the Templete and calle Mayor or as a stop on the way down from the basilica.
What you see inside
The whole museum tells a single festival: that of 2 May, when some sixty caparisoned horses tour the town and race up the castle hill, declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Several rooms trace its history from its origin to today, with the three contests that make it up: the bareback horse, the trappings and the race.
The most striking things are the mantles. The exhibition shows how the trappings changed during the 20th century, from the bedspreads and household pieces thrown over the horse to the embroideries of today, which each peña unveils for the contest. There are Baroque still lifes recreating scenes from the festival and audiovisuals of its main moments, with the final race up the hill, and a section devoted to the festival's future: the ponies and the youngest riders.
Allow about three quarters of an hour. The tourist office does not publish whether there are guided visits of its own or whether the building is wheelchair accessible: ask on 868 18 50 96 before going.
Hours and tickets
Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:30 to 19:30; Saturdays, 10:30 to 14:00 and 16:30 to 19:30; Sundays, only 10:30 to 14:00. General admission costs €3. Children aged 6 to 14, people with disabilities and schoolchildren pay €1.50; over-65s and groups of more than 25 people, €2. Under-6s enter free. Groups book on 968 70 56 20 or at [email protected].
If you come for the May festivals, call in at the museum first: you will see up close the mantles that go up the hill on the 2nd. Ask about the hours on those days, which the office does not publish separately.
Tips
- Come on a weekday afternoon It is when it is open longest; on Sunday it closes at 14:00, at the same time as the Vera Cruz Museum.
- Combine it with the basilica Entry to the church in the Vera Cruz castle is free and the Vera Cruz museum costs another €3.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth it outside May?
Yes: it is the way to understand the festival if you cannot be there on 2 May, with the real mantles and the race on video.
Is the museum open on Sunday?
Yes, in the morning, from 10:30 to 14:00.
How much does it cost with children?
€1.50 for ages 6 to 14; under-6s do not pay.
Where is the museum in Caravaca?
At calle Gregorio Javier 21, in Caravaca's old town.
As a family
