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Exploring Maritime History: The Naval Museum Cartagena

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On 2025-07-18

The Cartagena Naval Museum is a military history museum near the port of the city of Cartagena, Spain. It features exhibits related to shipbuilding and is a subsidiary of the Madrid Naval Museum. I visited the place while on my trip to Murcia and what a remarkable experience! Witnessing the evolution of the Spanish navy and their pioneering invention, this musuem is truly amazing!

Table of contents:

About The Naval Museum Building

The Naval Museum bulding's facade with cannions in front Image credit: Costa Cálida Region De Murcia Official Website

The Cartagena Naval Museum was founded on July 8, 1986. Under the direction of architect Lorenzo Ros, the original building was constructed in 1926 and served as the home for The Spanish Society of Naval Construction. In 2011, the museum was transferred to a new headquarters located on the city’s seafront, in a privileged environment.

The current building, originally built between 1776 and 1785, served in the past as a prison and accommodation for convicted criminals, who were used as labor for the construction of other naval buildings in Cartagena, including the Arsenal next door. I could sense the emotion of the place, especially in one exhibit where metal handcuffs were on display, serving as a dark reminder of that time’s construction.

Ample vision of the Naval Museum building Image Credit: Wikipedia

After the Civil War, the space became the Marinería Instruction Barracks. It was used as a place for the training of young marines who joined the navy. In 2005, thanks to the signing of an agreement between the Ministry of Defense and the Autonomous Community of Murcia Region, it took a restoration to host one of the campuses of the Polytechnic University of Cartagena, reserving part of its space for the Naval Museum, with the space being completely modernized by local architect José Manuel Chacón to create a museum space.

The space naval construction is located in the southern half of the ground floor of the naval building. And I can’t assure you that will happen to you, but I was lucky enough to see a naval submarine at the port getting serviced, and I have to say, it was amazing!

What The Naval History Museum Offers

Boat models inside the Naval Museum Image credit: Costa Cálida Region De Murcia Official Website

The Cartagena Naval Museum offers an enriching experience by exploring the history of the navy, with historical, scientific, and interactive materials donated by the Colombian Navy and several Caribbean countries. The exhibition covers a range of fascinating themes and provides an inclusive experience for visitors of all nationalities, with all information panels displayed in both Spanish and English, ensuring everyone can fully enjoy their visit.

The comprehensive exhibition covers all aspects of maritime life, from shipbuilding, nautical science and navigation, reconstructed cityscapes, naval artillery, naval health, uniforms, flags, and naval art, to submarines and diving in the Spanish Navy and its evolution. Some pieces have a strong connection with the history of the city of Cartagena and the old Mediterranean Maritime Department.

Boat prototypes inside the Naval Museum Image Credit: Spanish Ministerio de Defensa Official Website

The Naval Museum of Cartagena preserves a fascinating collection of more than 3,000 collections of different nature and varied typologies, linked to different fields and disciplines of naval history. The contents are organized into a series of thematic areas, which significantly sweetened my understanding of Spanish Naval History, making all the history there asily to understand and my experience more accessible and enjoyable.

Military History In Each Room

Boat prototypes inside the Naval Museum Image Credit: Nasza Szlaki

The vast collection of the Cartagena Naval Museum unfolds throughout its halls, lobby, and corridors, offering an immersive experience in each space. I must admit, there were so many things to see that I felt a bit overwhelmed. The depth of history and level of details were truly fascinating!

Arsenal Room

Room inside the Naval Museum Cartagena Image Credit: Nasza Szlaki

This room displays airplanes, riverside carpentry, and blacksmithing tools, rigging and sail workshops, maneuvering elements and models of sailing ships, relics of the ships Nuestra Señora de Atocha and Santa Margarita, and historical documents.

Isaac Peral Hall

In 2013, the museum was expanded with the inauguration of the Isaac Peral Hall in the former Workshop of Calderería del Arsenal. The room is dedicated to Isaac Peral, the founder of the Manzanares Thermoelectric Company and inventor of the electric submarine.

The grand collection of the room shows flat documents and personal objects that are part of the National Heritage, model paintings of his submarine, the Spanish submarine itself, and a portrait of Isaac Peral.

Marine Infantry Room

Walls adorned with layers of history and abundant information in The Naval Museum Cartagena Image Credit: Nasza Szlaki

This room contains collected tables that show the actions and battles in which the marine infantry operated throughout Spanish history. There are also photographs of the Marines and a section dedicated to their stripes, weapons, ammunition, and uniforms.

Cartography And Navigation Room

This room features anuscript manuscripts maps, letters, charts, and objects such as the rudder of a 19th-century warship, telegraphs, sextants, navigation publications, a collection of logbooks, and two ships.

Submarine Room

The Peral Submarine, one of the main piece of the museum. Image Credit: Spanish Ministerio de Defensa Official Website

The Submarine Room at the Cartagena Naval Museum displays more than 250 pieces, including detailed models of Spanish Navy submarines, batteries, underwater planes, recovery bells, boat prototypes, and torpedoes. There, you will also see the renowned collection of models of historic ships by Julio Castelo Matrán-Fundación MAPFRE.

Naval Health Room

The Museum is particularly proud of its area dedicated to health, including pieces used in the former military hospital in Cartagena. The room presents various objects from the old nuns’ hospital: a Sacred Heart, portraits of doctors, war heroes, old documentation, ordinances from the Faculty of Surgery, 18th-century uniforms, and models.

Boat models inside the Naval Museum Image Credit: Nasza Szlaki

And this is just a sample of what the Cartagena Naval Museum has to offer. In addition to these exciting rooms, visitors can also explore other equally fascinating areas, such as the Navy Diving Room, Naval Artillery and Portable Weapons room, Navigation Room, and the halls dedicated to the 19th century. There was so much to see, and each space offered a unique and immersive perspective on the region’s rich naval history. It was a memorable experience. Prepare to be amazed by the diverse stories that await in every corner of the museum, it is fascinating!

General Information

Image Credit: Museo Naval de Cartagena Official Website

Want to tour the Naval Museum? Here is important information for your visit:

How To Get To Naval Museum Cartagena

The naval museum is conveniently located on Paseo Afonso XII, s/n. – 30201, Cartagena, Murcia.

If you prefer, you can arrive by bus, using the following lines: Afonso XII (PORTO) | LINE 7 (Polígono de Santa Ana – Puerto) (Stop at Muralla del Mar) ICUE 8 (Circular with a stop at Muralla del Mar).

Image credit: Google Maps

Hours and Fees

During August, the visiting hours are open from Monday to Friday, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. On Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, it remains closed.

In other months, opening hours are from Tuesday to Friday, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, and Saturdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The museum is closed on Sundays, Mondays and January 2nd and 6th, Good Friday, Maundy Thursday, May 1st, June 9th, Carthaginian and Roman Fridays in September, October 12th, November 1st, and December 6th, 8th, and 25th.

Entrance to the museum is free, however, a voluntary contribution of €3 per visitor is requested for the maintenance of the Naval Museum.

Group Visits

For groups of more than 10 people, the museum staff recommends making a prior reservation by email to museonavalcartagena@fn.mde.es, at most one month in advance and at least 7 working days in advance.

Contact

Telephone: 968 12 71 38
Email: museonavalcartagena@fn.mde.es
Official website: https://www.fundacionmuseonaval.com/museonavalcartagena.html

Naval Museum: A Must Go

A visit to the Cartagena Naval Museum building is “a must-go” for anyone who likes museums and is interested in delving deeper into the region’s rich maritime and military history.

With its diverse exhibitions, interesting displays, and bilingual information panels, the naval building offers an immersive experience that attracts visitors from all backgrounds. Whether you are a history enthusiast, a maritime fan, or simply curious about Cartagena’s naval origin, this museum offers a unique opportunity to explore, learn, and appreciate the significance of the sea in shaping the originality of the city and its people.

You shouldn’t miss the opportunity to discover the stories behind the walls of this historic treasure.

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Villa Murcia – Your Private Paradise

Wake up to coffee on a sun-drenched terrace, unwind in a warm jacuzzi after a day of exploring, and end your evenings with dinners in the summer kitchen. Nestled in charming Santiago de la Ribera, Villa Murcia offers more than just a holiday—it’s your personal oasis of comfort, style, and unforgettable moments.

Highlights:
 ✔ Spacious living room with a large sofa and open kitchen – perfect for shared memories
✔ Three elegant, air-conditioned bedrooms with private terraces – your peaceful retreat
✔ Extra fold-out sofa in the living room – ideal for additional guests

Whether it’s a romantic escape, a family getaway, or a relaxing break with friends – Villa Murcia is your dream stay.

Book now and experience the magic of the Spanish sun!

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The National Museum of Underwater Archaeology in Cartagena

The National Museum of Underwater Archaeology in Cartagena

By

On 2025-07-10

Spain has some of the most incredible museums in the world, with magnificent modern architecture, such as the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona (MACBA) in the Catalan capital, and the Reina Sofía in Madrid. Still, an unrivaled museum dedicated to underwater exploration and archeology is the National Museum of Underwater Archeology in Cartagena, Murcia.

This museum receives hundreds of visitors every day. It has all the essential services and elements that make it one of the most important museums in terms of underwater research and the preservation of cultural heritage.

Let’s explore this magnificent museum from various perspectives, from its architectural design to the relevance of its exhibitions.

Table of Contents:

What Is the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology?

The National Museum of Underwater Archaeology facade and exterior

The National Museum of Underwater Archaeology, or ARQUA—a mix of the Latin words Archaeolgia and Aqua—is an international institution whose mission is to discover, collect, and preserve the rich underwater archaeological heritage of the Mediterranean and surrounding bodies of water. This museum is also known as Museo Nacional de Arqueología Subacuática, or “ARQVA,” in Spanish.

The National Museum of Maritime Archaeology and the National Centre for Submarine Archaeological Research were created in 1980 and officially opened in 1982. The museum’s opening marked the first step in deep research into the coast and a professional program of diving and subaquatic archaeology courses. With the opening of this marine archaeology museum, the Laboratory for Water-Saturated Archaeological Wood was created.

Currently, The National Museum of Underwater Archaeology has several projects whose main goal is to promote the subwater cultural heritage of the Region of Murcia. These include the Maritime Archaeological Heritage Route in Spain and Portugal and Archeomed, which studies and restores the maritime cultural heritage of the Mediterranean.

The ARQUA also boasts some important archaeological interventions, especially in collaboration with other institutions. Three of the most important are the archaeogeophysical prospecting in the bay of Cartagena, which was carried out with the Aurora Trust Foundation; project Bajo de La Campana, in collaboration with INA; and conservation and protection in situ on the site of the Phoenician boat Mazarron 2.

Location of the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology

The National Museum of Underwater Archaeology location in Cartagena

The National Museum of Underwater Archaeology is located in the Paseo del Muelle Alfonso XII, Cartagena, a Spanish town on the Mediterranean Sea’s border in the region of Murcia, in the southeast part of Spain. The city was founded by The Carthaginian Hasdrubal in 227 B.C.

This two-building museum and all its facilities are easily accessible since they are located in a highly crowded area near the center of the city.

The ARQUA is housed right on the harbor in Cartagena, in front of where the cruise ships dock. This way, the building is directly related to the ocean—the Mediterranean Sea and the neighboring sites—and integrates a crucial part of the city’s history.

Address: P.° Alfonso XII, 30202 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain.

Schedule: Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Monday close.

Telephone: +34 968 12 11 66

Google Plus Code: H2X9+3V Cartagena, Spain

Sunday: Free Entrance

Story and Architecture

The National Museum of Underwater Archaeology section
Draft for the new National Museum of Underwater Archaeology

In 1992, the Cartagena Port Works Board—the city’s Port Authority—decided to donate a piece of land to the city. This site would be the new museum space, so a new architectural project with a total area of ​​2,800 m2 came to light. The architect who developed this project was Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra, who designed a preliminary project contemplating 6,000 m2 of construction.

Construction began in January 2001 following a bidding period. Finally, on January 23, 2003, the cornerstone was placed. The new headquarters of this Museum of Underwater Archeology was inaugurated in 2008.

ARQUA surface plant
The low level of the museum

The museum’s architecture includes two volumes that emerge at the low level but are linked to the underground level, as you can see in the draft at the beginning of this section. This lower level is occupied by several connected galleries that form a route. This section also has a viewpoint at the edge of the sea from which you can see the promenade and the port.

ARQUA first level
The underground floor of the museum.

The museum’s architecture has an open space without significant walls—rather panels—and transparent glass that builds the rooms and sections. In this way, we can move freely through the two levels that make up the museum using the connections, stairs, and elevators. The two buildings form an impressive modern structure, joined below ground level and designed to create an underwater effect.

The museum is mainly made of reinforced concrete, which creates large exhibition spaces. Wood is also used inside, giving it a marine feeling and adding color to the building.

Cartagena Curiosities

The Old Roman Theatre in Cartagena, Spain

For most of its history, Cartagena’s economy was based on the extraction of silver, lead, and zinc from the Sierra Minera, located 15 kilometers away, and on the chemical industry (sulfur, explosives, and phosphate fertilizers).

Today, Cartagena’s economy is based mainly on the export of olive oil, citrus fruits, vegetables, wine, and alfalfa, as well as shipbuilding. However, Cartagena is world famous for its tourist attractions. It is due to its enormous cultural and artistic heritage that spans more than two thousand years of history.

Among other exhibitions and areas that we can see during our visit to the city are the Peral submarine exposed in the port, the numerous archaeological remains from the Carthaginian era, fortresses, military buildings, and numerous modern and neoclassical buildings. The Carthaginian and Roman festivities also stand out among the panoramas of the citadel, including their Holy Week processions.

What Can We Find in this Spain National Museum?

The permanent exhibition in the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology

The permanent exhibition “La Navegación Oceánica.” is an exposition that hosts a significant part of the cargo of the frigate Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes.

The second floor of the museum is dedicated to explaining subaquatic archeology, with particular emphasis on the reality of the Murcia coastline and recent findings. The second floor also explains the scientific methodology and technology that the museum’s experts use when investigating. Consequently, we can find several models, dioramas, reproductions, interactives, and texts that show the wealth of the Mediterranean Sea and archeology.

The permanent exhibition also highlights the importance of the Convención sobre la Protección del Patrimonio Cultural Subacuático de la Unesco, or the National Plan for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, which has a single goal: the adoption of measures for the protection, conservation, restoration, and diffusion of the rich heritage that exists in the waters of Cartagena and surrounding. This permanent exhibition also emphasizes the disastrous consequences of looting on cultural patrimony.

Mare-Hibericum

A roman boat in the ARQUA

The museum’s lower level—at the ocean’s level—exposes cultural goods in chronological order. It allows us to review the history of underwater archaeology from prehistory to the 20th century.

Particular highlights in this exhibition include Phoenician inscriptions, a unique collection of elephant tusks, lead ingots, anchors, gold and silver coins of the Epoque, and a real-size model of a Roman merchant ship. All these objects correspond to a small part of the collection in this museum dedicated to the exhibition of valuable pieces of cultural heritage found in underwater archaeological excavations.

An exhibition in the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology

The museum also features intricate miniature dioramas depicting port activity and models of ships from different periods in the Mediterranean Sea. One notable exhibition is that of the Spanish frigate Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, which sank off the coast of Portugal in 1804.

This exhibition gained significant attention due to the conflict between the Spanish government and Odyssey Marine Exploration, a treasure-hunting company. Ultimately, artifacts valued at around $500 million, including a considerable collection of traditional Spanish coins, were returned to Spain from Portugal and are now on display at the museum.

Extra Facilities

The museum has a stylish cafeteria located on the waterfront, from which we can see the sea and the surroundings of the port. It is the right place to enjoy a café and eat a sweet piece of pie. This space works as a basic restaurant where we can have food and drinks. There is also a parking space below the Paseo del Muelle Alfonso XII.

Children Activities

Several objects in the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology

The lower level offers numerous hands-on interactive games and visual-tactile activities designed for children to learn from. These activities blend scientific and archaeological knowledge to provide children with easily digestible facts. ARQUA is undoubtedly a great place to spend an hour or two with children, especially during hot summer days.

What Other Museums Can We Visit in the Zone?

As you can see at this point in the article, the region of Murcia, especially Cartagena, is full of ancient culture and areas of interest. Consequently, we can visit other museums and cultural destinations, such as those mentioned below.

Cartagena Roman Theatre Museum

A sculpture in the Cartagena Roman Theatre Museum

The Roman Theater Museum of Cartagena is 0.4 km away from the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology. This museum has a huge volume of pieces discovered in an excavation in the area of ​​the Roman Theater of Cartagena, built between the 5th and 1st centuries BC. This museum seeks the restoration of a large part of the ancient city of Cartagena and its ancient theater. It contains multiple archaeological objects, some broken and others restored, and shows them through a clear exhibition of panels and dioramas.

fundacion@teatroromanocartagena.org

Tel.:+34 968504802

Website: http://www.teatroromanocartagena.org/index.asp?idioma=2

Municipal Archaeological Museum

This museum is located 3 km from ARQUA, in the center of the city. It’s a good option for complementing knowledge about the story of antique Cartagena through archaeological science. It was built in 1982 over the Roman necropolis of San Antón. This museum stands out for containing the largest collection of Roman inscriptions in Spanish history. If you are a recurrent visitor to museums, the Municipal Archaeological Museum can’t be missed on your journey.

Muncipial Archaeological Museum market on a map

informacionmuseo@ayto-cartagena.es

Tel.:+34 968 12 89 68

Website: https://museoarqueologico.cartagena.es/

Visit the ARQUA in Cartagena, Murcia, Spain

The National Museum of Underwater Archeology is a good reason to take a trip to Cartagena and enjoy all its cultural heritage, restaurants, beaches, and sunny days. If you feel attracted by this type of panorama, we invite you to get to know the city and ARQUA and explore everything it exhibits. However, don’t forget to visit the beaches and coves in the area, such as Playa Chica La Manga and La Cala del Barco.

Enjoy Your Private Paradise in Villa Murcia!

Looking for the perfect place to stay in Murcia? We’ve got just the spot for you!

Villa Murcia – Your Private Paradise

Wake up to coffee on a sun-drenched terrace, unwind in a warm jacuzzi after a day of exploring, and end your evenings with dinners in the summer kitchen. Nestled in charming Santiago de la Ribera, Villa Murcia offers more than just a holiday—it’s your personal oasis of comfort, style, and unforgettable moments.

Highlights:
 ✔ Spacious living room with a large sofa and open kitchen – perfect for shared memories
✔ Three elegant, air-conditioned bedrooms with private terraces – your peaceful retreat
✔ Extra fold-out sofa in the living room – ideal for additional guests

Whether it’s a romantic escape, a family getaway, or a relaxing break with friends – Villa Murcia is your dream stay.

Book now and experience the magic of the Spanish sun!

Read More

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