Museum of Toys and Automata
Encyclopedia
The Museum of Toys and Automata (in Catalan language
Museu de Joguets i Autòmats) is a toy
& automata
museum located in Verdú
, Lleida
, 100 km west of Barcelona
. It sets forth a collection of more than a thousand objects in a building with impressive architecture. It is one of the more distinguished museums of its kind.
The exhibition offers a fascinating journey through remembrances, illusions and experiences of the collector. The memory is the subtle thread of this set of objects, and also of the museum.
Cal Jan was built in the 15th century, as all the other buildings on the same street, and already at that time it was an important house of Verdú. The lintels of the first floor balconies are an example of early 17th century architecture. In fact, there is an inscription on the façade dating from 1695, which is the year the house was reconstructed.
It was used as a home during the mid 20th century and, in 1999, it was decided to start its transformation into a museum.
In order to adapt the building to its new use, there has been a complete rethinking of its distribution, as well as the addition of a neighbouring piece of land. A ramp connecting the four floors has been built. The remodelling has been carried out without architectural barriers, which has resulted into an imposing and spectacular design.
Interesting information:
- Total surface: 2,075 m2
- built surface 1,895 m2
- There have been used:
1.000 tons of stone
224 tons of concrete
55 tons of iron
20 km of electric wire
1.000 m of wire pipes
500 m2 of wood
400 m2 of glass
Visits guided by the Museum are carried out and for Verdú, has didactic workshops for groups, it rents its equipment to carry out photographic reports and advertisements of television. Also it has a shop of toys and products of the territory.
From its inauguration, the Museum has become a social, cultural and touristic phenomenon on Catalonia
and in the Route of the Cister, for the great number of visitors that it receives annually and for the transcendence of the activities carried out.
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
Museu de Joguets i Autòmats) is a toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
& automata
Automata
Automata is the plural form of automaton, a self-operating machine. It may also refer to:* "Automata", a short story by E. T. A. Hoffmann* "Automata", a hardboiled science fiction crime series by Penny Arcade...
museum located in Verdú
Verdú
Verdú is a village in the county of Urgell, in the province of Lleida, Catalonia, Spain that soon loaded the Segarra-Garrigues water channel....
, Lleida
Lleida
Lleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida, as well as the largest city in the province and it had 137,387 inhabitants , including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants...
, 100 km west of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. It sets forth a collection of more than a thousand objects in a building with impressive architecture. It is one of the more distinguished museums of its kind.
The exhibition
The museum was open in 2004. Most objects are part of the collection created by Manel Mayoral. It is housed at an old house at the number 23 of the village main square. It is distributed in three floors with a surface of more than 2000 square meters. The collection is formed by fair attractions, bicycles, football tables, tin toys, cars with pedals, posters, scooters, games, automatas...The exhibition offers a fascinating journey through remembrances, illusions and experiences of the collector. The memory is the subtle thread of this set of objects, and also of the museum.
The building
The building that hosts the Museum is situated at number 23 of the Plaça Major of Verdú, the centre of the town’s social life, and it was formerly an ancestral home popularly known as “Cal Jan”.Cal Jan was built in the 15th century, as all the other buildings on the same street, and already at that time it was an important house of Verdú. The lintels of the first floor balconies are an example of early 17th century architecture. In fact, there is an inscription on the façade dating from 1695, which is the year the house was reconstructed.
It was used as a home during the mid 20th century and, in 1999, it was decided to start its transformation into a museum.
In order to adapt the building to its new use, there has been a complete rethinking of its distribution, as well as the addition of a neighbouring piece of land. A ramp connecting the four floors has been built. The remodelling has been carried out without architectural barriers, which has resulted into an imposing and spectacular design.
Interesting information:
- Total surface: 2,075 m2
- built surface 1,895 m2
- There have been used:
1.000 tons of stone
224 tons of concrete
55 tons of iron
20 km of electric wire
1.000 m of wire pipes
500 m2 of wood
400 m2 of glass
Information
From its inauguration, the Museum has carried out temporary exhibitions, at the same time, from the Museum they offer the rent of twenty temporary exhibitions to themselves for every type of cultural entities and centers of leisure.Visits guided by the Museum are carried out and for Verdú, has didactic workshops for groups, it rents its equipment to carry out photographic reports and advertisements of television. Also it has a shop of toys and products of the territory.
From its inauguration, the Museum has become a social, cultural and touristic phenomenon on Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
and in the Route of the Cister, for the great number of visitors that it receives annually and for the transcendence of the activities carried out.