The house where the great Christopher Columbus lived

The history of the Casa de Colón dates back to 1478 when the Real de Las Palmas was founded, which later gave rise to the district of Vegueta that we know today, the foundational nucleus of the island of Gran Canaria. It was made up of a series of houses, including the Casa de los Gobernadores, today's Casa de Colón.

In 1492, Christopher Columbus began his expedition in search of a new route to the East Indies, but he had to make a stopover on the island of Gran Canaria to repair one of his ships, and he took the opportunity to recruit astute sailors and stock up for the voyage. On 6 September of the same year, Columbus and his crew set sail for what they believed to be Asia, but arrived in a continent that had been unknown to them until then, thus changing the course of human history.

At the end of the 1940s, the Cabildo of Gran Canaria decided to lay the foundations for the creation of the Casa de Colón, an organism of high culture on the island, whose refurbishment project was commissioned to the prestigious architect Secundino Zuazo Ugalde. A decade later, in 1951, part of the building was inaugurated, but it was not until 1954 that the Museum finally opened its doors to the public. That same year, the first Board of Trustees of the Casa de Colón was set up with the intention of "providing the island of Gran Canaria and the city of Las Palmas with scientific studies and cultural activities". With that, the Patronage focused on the annual announcement and publication of the "Viera y Clavijo", "Tomás Morales" and "Pérez Galdós" Prizes until 1964, when the Ballesteros Library was inaugurated and the Museum of Fine Arts was officially opened.

Two years later, the official director, Alfonso Armas Ayala, set about promoting and expanding a scientific policy to encourage research and dissemination of Canarian culture, as it was essential to situate and connect Canarian research with the rest of the world. Thus, in 1976, Francisco Morales Padrón's Coloquio de Historia Canario Americana was published, a necessary scientific framework and an instrument for the dissemination of Canarian history. At the end of the 1980s, the director of the Casa de Colón, Elena Acosta Guerrero, took charge of redefining and revitalising the Museum by restructuring and consolidating its content, as well as promoting the dissemination of its activities.

Today the Casa de Colón is one of the most visited museums in the Canary Islands, following its policy of publications and congresses, with temporary exhibitions on the Cultural Heritage of the Canary Islands.

In colonial style and with yellow facades, adorned with precious stone ornamentation, wooden windows and antique doorways of historical and important figures in the Canary Islands, the Casa de Colón brings together a number of adjacent dwellings that together form a unique structure. Inside you will notice that they follow the outlines of traditional Canarian architecture, which is articulated around the courtyards, whose typology is due to the Roman and Arab influences of the south of the Iberian Peninsula.

Since its definitive opening in the 1950s, the Casa de Colón has been researching and disseminating the history of the Canary Islands and its relations with America both nationally and abroad. The aspirations of this institution became a reality, as the museum it houses is one of the most visited in Gran Canaria. In addition to its museum, it also has a library and a specialised research centre.

It has permanent exhibition rooms offering a journey through Christopher Columbus' passage through the island, as well as the history of Gran Canaria and its relations with America, with a special focus on Atlantic expansion. As the only public institution in Gran Canaria that has funds from the Prado and the Board of Seizure and Protection of Artistic Heritage, as well as its own collection of works dating from the 16th to the 19th century, it fulfils its role as a Museum of Fine Arts. It also promotes interaction between the Museum and Gran Canarian society through the Department of Education and Cultural Action, and includes an educational programme aimed at children, making it suitable for all ages.

Another fundamental element of the Casa de Colón is its Centre for Studies and Research, with the aim of continuing to promote research in the field of relations between the Canary Islands and America. This is structured around the Colloquium on Canary-American History, the Yearbook of Atlantic Studies, the Viera y Clavijo Research Prizes, the Grants for research projects on Canary-American Relations, and the Special Canary-American Prize, in addition to the activities and publications of the Casa de Colón and the scholarships it receives. Together with the Ballesteros Fund, these elements consolidate its scientific work.

A large part of the historiographical production of the Study and Research Centre is concentrated in the library and archive of the Casa. The latter was inaugurated in 1998 and serves as a reference centre that supports and facilitates the task of study and research. With the Ballesteros Fund as its mainstay, the Casa de Colón library contains some 20,000 monographs and periodical titles, including some 500 titles related to the history of Columbus.

On the other hand, both the development of the Casa's initial objectives and its commitment to the development of information and communication technologies led to its integration into REDIAL.

Stay very close to the Casa Colón

Museum opening hours

• Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00.
• Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 15:00.

• Closed on: 1 and 6 January, 1 May, 24, 25 and 31 December.

The rooms are vacated 10 minutes before closing time.

Prices

General admission: 4€.

Reduced admission: 2€.

• Seniors over 65 or pensioners
• Students between 18 and 23 years old
• Members of large families
• Groups of 7 or more people

Free admission:

• Children under 18 years of age
• People with functional diversity (including their companion when it is essential for them to be able to make the visit)
• Persons officially unemployed
• School groups
• Teachers, official guides and professional visitors
• ICOM card holders

Cultural activities: 0€.

Free admission days: Every Sunday and 18 April, 18 May, 30 May, 24 June, 27 September, 12 October.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Accreditation of membership of any of the groups entitled to reduced or free admission must be made on presentation at the box office of the corresponding official document, valid and up to date in each case.

Buy your tickets now!

How to get there?

By bus: Pérez Galdós Theatre, Vegueta Market and Guiniguada stations.

By car: The museum has no parking facilities and is located in a pedestrian area. Nearby public car parks: Vegueta Market, Monopol Shopping Centre and Jesuitas School in Vegueta.

Tourist bus: Bus stop just 100 metres from the Museum.

Address and contact

Address: Calle Colón, 1. 35001 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Telephone numbers: 928 31 23 73/84/86

E-mail: casacolon\@grancanaria.com