Puçol School Museum, the Life of the Camp d'Elx Kept by a School

The Puçol School Museum began in 1969 in the rural schools of this district of Elche, as a project for children to learn the trades and customs of the Camp d'Elx through objects from their own homes. Families kept donating and today it holds more than 90,000 catalogued pieces, almost all from the 19th and early 20th centuries. In December 2009, UNESCO's intangible heritage committee entered it in its register of best safeguarding practices. It is one of Elche's three World Heritage items, along with the Palmeral and the Misteri.

What is inside

The rooms recreate scenes of life in the past, in the countryside and the city: tartanas and carts, threshing machines, farm tools, traditional clothing, objects from the area's industry and trade, from the school and from leisure. The collections are arranged by theme: farming and livestock, childhood, dress, trades, domestic life and society. Next door, the Casa-museo de L'Hort dels Pontos is a traditional house from around 1900 in a palm grove, furnished with pieces from the museum.

Hours and prices

The museum is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:00, and at weekends and on public holidays from 11:00 to 14:00. The Casa-museo de L'Hort dels Pontos is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 14:00. It closes on 1 and 6 January, Easter Monday, the Monday of San Vicente and 25 December. Admission costs €3; €2 for people from Elche, students, pensioners and people with disabilities. Under-10s do not pay. The guided visit for groups of more than ten people costs €5. To arrange it, call 965 938 985 or write to [email protected].

In the Puçol district

It is at partida de Puçol, 8, on the Casas del León road, in the countryside south of Elche, and has public parking. Next door is Restaurante Cachito, with wood-fired arroz con costra, and a few minutes away the Faelo winery, in Matola.