Pottery museum of Alba de Tormes

The Pottery Museum is located in the Church of Santiago, Romanesque-Mudejar style, dating from the late 11th century and early 12th century, and declared a Cultural Interest Site. It is a privileged and unique combination that ensures the visitor the enjoyment of both the frame of the church and its interior converted into a pottery museum.

The Pottery Museum is launched to reclaim and publicize the craft of traditional pottery of the village. Many Albenses families dedicated themselves to it and its survival was fundamental for the economy and commerce in the town.

The museum makes a journey, through a video, through the history and production of mud in Alba de Tormes that allows contextualize and give an idea to the visitor of the importance of pottery. Some fundamental pieces are exhibited to understand this tradition that became art both through everyday utensils and others more decorative and elaborated thanks to the filigree.

The Albense filigree is the most exclusive decorative element of this collection, in which the botijos and vessels become true works of art. The filigrees overlap giving forms that are inspired by floral or animal elements that present forms very similar to those found in nature. Among the repertoire of works of the Pottery Museum we find examples of various types, glazed ceramics, others painted, some large with thousands of filigree pieces.

In addition to filigree pieces such as dishes, pots, lamps, comb barrel, floor, cross, fruit and soup pots, you can contemplate traditional forms such as pots for storage, processing and consumption of food, and others for transport, storage and consumption of liquids, as well as other diverse uses or decoration. According to the utility for which the pots were intended, they are shown in "coarse" clay or with showy glazed decorations. Pots, buckets, stews, purrianchos, barrels, plates, jugs and countless others complete the museum’s exhibition.

With a didactic character, in the museum you can know the processes of production of a piece and the elements used by the potters in the elaboration of the same. The visit is completed by a collection of miniature toys and the famous bullfighting booties in their different schematic or figurative designs.

The exhibition ends with a sample of decorative ceramic works by Albenses ceramists who have evolved from traditional pieces to modern works of art.

The Pottery Museum has a Tourist Information Point.