Museum Night

On Friday, August 14, Villanueva de los Infantes’ cultural and historic sites will be open to visitors during special hours as part of a new edition of “Museum Night.”

The Church of San Andrés, the cell where Francisco de Quevedo died, the Casa de Rueda, the Casa de los Estudios, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Ethnographic Museum, the silos painted by Okuda San Miguel, and the Visual Arts Gallery featuring the handcrafted models by Ángel Montalbán are all part of Villanueva de los Infantes’ cultural heritage and will be open for special viewing during this event, at various times ranging from 8:00 p.m. to midnight. In addition, the program includes a wide range of activities, including guided and dramatized tours, live music, gastronomy, literature, and family-friendly experiences.

At 8:00 p.m., the Bojiganga Teatro group will offer a dramatized tour of the Ethnographic Museum of the Hospital de Santiago. There will also be theater in Francisco de Quevedo’s Cell, where the author himself will recount his final days in several performances between 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.  Live music will be another highlight of the evening, with a concert by “Saudade” at 10:45 p.m. at the new museum in the Casa de los Estudios, which includes a food tasting; and the sounds of Henry Speechly’s Victorian organ—the only one of its kind in Spain—which can be heard at the Church of San Andrés while visitors tour the parish museums between 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

There will also be guided tours to experience firsthand the new exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, “The Imprint of the Gaze: Photography and Society in Castilla-La Mancha, 1839–1936,” at 8:30 p.m.; and the Path of the Muses, a nighttime literary tour featuring quotes from famous authors who have written about Villanueva de los Infantes, with their words projected at various points throughout the historic district. A guided tour of all these sites will take place at 11:30 p.m., starting from the Casa de Rueda.

Children can also enjoy an unforgettable night camping at the Casa de Rueda, home to the museums dedicated to the “Place in La Mancha from Don Quixote” and the archaeological history of Infantes. The experience includes dinner, breakfast, games, and activities to discover the museum’s secrets.

Most activities have limited space and require advance registration at the Villanueva de los Infantes Tourist Office.