Together with other institutions, the Provincial Council of Alava has brought together a large part of the
extensive artistic heritage of this province in the numerous museums and archives in Vitoria-Gasteiz and other
locations in the province.
The Artium, with its highly-regarded permanent collection of contemporary art, which includes paintings, sculptures,
engravings, drawings, photographs and installations by well-renown artists such as Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Antoni
Tàpies, Joan Brossa, Jorge Oteiza or Eduardo Chillida, without forgetting major figures on the contemporary art scene
such as Miquel Barceló, Cristina Iglesias, Juan Muñoz and Txomin Badiola, is one of the most important collections in
the Spanish State.
The Fine Arts Museum possesses a large number of renaissance and baroque works, including the "Christ" by Rivera
and the "Immaculate Conception" by Alonso Cano, as well as numerous examples of Basque "costumbrist" art (on local
traditions).
In view of the growing number of works in its collection, a study is currently underway for the construction of a
new museum.
The Palacio de Bendaña ("Fournier" Playing-card Museum of Alava), located in the centre of the medieval quarter
of Vitoria-Gasteiz, contains one of the best collections of playing cards in the world, made up of 18,500 decks
on a multitude of subjects and printed in a great variety of formats with all the techniques used since the beginning
of the printing industry.
The Vitoria-based company, "Naipes Heraclio Fournier", which is the largest card manufacturer in the world,
has donated its entire collection to the museum.
Other museums include the Arms Museum, with its collection of offensive and defensive weaponry employed from the dawn
of history until the beginning of the twentieth century, and the Archaeology Museum which contains exhibits that trace
the history of this province over the ages. For its part, the Natural History Museum represents the largest collection
of flora and fauna in the Basque Country. Special mention should be given to its herbarium, one of the largest on the
Iberian Peninsula.
One of the major features of its geological collection is the recent discovery of amber in Peñacerrada and one of
the best collections in Europe of dinosaurs and tortoises dating from the end of the Cretaceous period.
Other places of interest to visitors include the ethnographic museums of Pipaón, Zalduondo, Artziniega, Amurrio and Oion.
The Hoya Museum in Laguardia-Biasteri, which contains the remains of an iron-age village, offering an insight into how
villages were laid out at that time, and the Oppidum de Iruña, a Roman fort built on the site of an indigenous village
with major defensive structures, walls and public and private buildings, take visitors on a journey into the distant
past of the province of Alava.
The Basque Gastronomic Museum in Laudio-Llodio, the Basque Pottery Museum in Ollerías, the Heraldry Museum in the Tower
of Mendoza, and the Tower of Quejana, complete a rich tapestry of the cultural heritage of this province.
Moreover, the Fernando de Amárica Exhibition Hall, which belongs to the Provincial Council of Alava, offers a full
programme of exhibitions by some of the most highly-recognised artists in the Spanish State.
Other exhibition halls and provincial archives run by foundations, town halls, banks and savings banks, paint an
attractive picture of the cultural past and present of this province.
Alava possesses an extensive architectural and cultural heritage and has a large number of tower-houses, castles,
stately homes, mansions, churches and examples of Romanesque architecture. In the capital, the Artium has one of
the largest collections of contemporary art in the Spanish State.
The Playing-card, Arms, Natural History, Archaeology and Heraldry Museums offer a lively, attractive image of
the history of Alava and the Basque Country.
The ethnographic museums, the libraries, the university campus, the archives of Vitoria-Gasteiz and Alava, the
cultural foundations and the large number of exhibition halls and conference centres provide the backdrop to
numerous and original programmes of cultural activities that take place over the entire year.
The International Jazz and Theatre Festivals, the Ancient Music Week, the International Choir Week, the festival
of Folklore, the Organ Festival, the Comedy and Magic Theatre., the International Gastronomy and Haute Cuisine
Competitions, the bull fights, the "La Blanca" fiestas and the festive programmes of towns throughout the province,
are a must for anyone who visits or lives in this province
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