Telephone: +34 (0)954 93 82 83
Website: not available
Shop: no shop present
Restaurant/refreshments: not available
Size of the museum/site: medium
Year of visit: 2005
Overall rating:
Description: Let's have it right: The building the Museo Historico Militar is housed in is more interesting than the museum itself. It's situated in the former "Spanish Pavillion" of the 1929 Iberian-American Exposition. It is a gigantic magnificent building with tiles of vitreous china and all that lark. Nevertheless, the museum itself is worth visiting as well. As the museum is run by the Spanish Army, be sure to carry a passport or official I.D., as you'll have to show it on your way in.
The museum covers a wild range of military subjects throughout the ages, from Spanish medieval armour to British colonial troops riding camels in the African desert. The various machineguns that are on display, including two dioramas of machinegun nests, form the most important attraction of the museum. They stem from different periods of history, different conflicts and different countries, and it is interesting to see the varying models and designs. Other interesting pieces are the scale-model of the medieval siege of Seville and some authentic artillery pieces and medical military equipment. Apart from that the museum features quite a lot of historic uniforms and small firearms.
The fact that the exhibits are only accompanied by a few Spanish texts is a drawback, as it will leave most international visitors (including our good selves!) a little puzzled as to what the exact history/use of the different items is. Apart from the machineguns the museum fails to really grab and amaze you... Worth a visit if you happen to be in Seville, but not necessary to catch the next plane to Spain.
