Museums hold the power to shape the world around us. They are unique places of discovery, teaching us about our past and about new ideas. They offer two essential steps toward a better future.
Since 1977, ICOM has organized International Day of Museums on May 18. The day aims to remind everyone that museums are works of art and dynamic environments for cultural exchange, cultural enrichment, mutual understanding, cooperation, and peace.
This year’s theme is The power of museums, showing its potential through three guiding approaches:
– The power to promote sustainability: Museums partner with communities to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. They contribute across many goals, from promoting short supply chains and social economy to spreading scientific knowledge about environmental challenges.
– The power of innovation in digitalization and accessibility: Museums have become creative spaces where new technologies are explored and applied in daily life. Digital innovation helps the public grasp complex ideas by making museums more accessible and engaging.
– The power of building community through education: Through collections and programs, museums weave the social fabric needed for community life. By upholding democratic values and offering lifelong learning for all, they foster an informed, participatory civil society.
To celebrate the day, various museums across Alicante province organized events, open days, exhibitions, workshops, and more.
MARQ commemorates DIM with a new exhibition and events
Deputy for Culture Julia Parra visited the museum during a grand DIM program that includes a wide range of activities. At MARQ, the exhibition aims to highlight other civilizations, such as the Roman world, with shows like Gladiators, Heroes of the Colosseum, and Iron Age Castreña through Atlantic Warrior. These will open today, Wednesday, May 18, with Parra, Vice President of Culture, in attendance.
The Culture leadership emphasized that the DIM program is designed for all audiences, from the youngest to the oldest, offering activities that entertain while conveying valuable historical insights. Accessibility remains a priority to ensure broad participation.
The program runs through next Sunday. It begins with a guided visit on Wednesday, May 18, in the medieval room, followed by two workshops. The first, Work like a medieval potter, involves the Alicante Association with Down Syndrome. The second, My gladiator shield, brings a specialist from Alicante into the Balmis University Hospital Pedagogy Unit. In the afternoon, activities for children aged 6 to 12 continue with Atlantic Warrior.
MARQ will also host animated tours and storytelling for ASPANION and APSA users and other audiences. Workshops will reveal the organization of battles, demonstrate different gladiators, and display their equipment.
On Saturday night, MARQ gardens host a gladiator fight from 20:00 performed by the Hispania Romana Association, presenting The Matrona’s dressing table and, on Sunday from 12:30 to 13:30, a Roman matron performance. Both experiences are free to the public.
Vilamuseu, the power to reach everyone
The year’s International Museum Day centers on the power of museums to transform society, with digitalization and accessibility as key axes. Vilamuseu stands out for integrating these fields and has earned two major international awards for its Augmented Accessibility project, developed with Néstor F. Marqués. The project digitizes collections to present the museum online in 3D via Sketchfab, allowing visitors to zoom in and rotate objects for a 360º view.
This virtualization supports the democratization of museum collections for research and enjoyment, even when visitors cannot travel to Vilamuseu. It also enables 3D printing of parts. Reproductions, painted and patinated to resemble the originals, become part of the sensory route within the exhibitions, seamlessly integrated with accessible resources and inclusive furniture, braille, sign language, audio description, augmentative and alternative communication pictograms, and plain language texts. The museum collaborates with user groups to test each material.
Vilamuseu currently hosts three semi-permanent exhibitions that captivate the public. Treasures of Vila Joiosa takes visitors from ancient city history to the Modern Age, featuring Mediterranean cultures such as Phoenician, Greek, Etruscan, Iberian, and Roman, with pieces noted for their Iberian Peninsula significance.
Exhibit connections include Music, gunpowder and disembarkation about Moorish and Christian festivities, and the Bou Ferrer Shipwreck, an exceptional site dating back to 67 C. It features an underwater archaeological laboratory and a guided amphora tour with hundreds of amphorae in their original location.
Explore Alcoy with a variety of museum offerings
International Museums Day is celebrated on May 18 and continues through the weekend, with open days and events for audiences of all ages across Alcoy. Activities include guided and virtual tours, concerts, and games that invite visitors to explore the city’s diverse museum landscape. Highlights include Discover City Exhibition Museum and a visual tour of Alcoy from its origins to the present, including a stop at the ISURUS Paleontological Collection and the Camilo Visedo Archaeological Museum. The Cervantes Shelter, a Civil War anti-aircraft bunker, offers a 360º virtual tour of other local bunkers using modern technology, and the Alcoyano Festival Museum explores Moorish and Christian celebrations. The Provincial Fire Museum, MuBoma, is the region’s primary museum dedicated to firefighting. Other venues include IVAM EVERY Alcoy, l’Antic Noble Chapel, Llotja de Sant Jordi, and the Mutua Levante Foundation, with more information available on the event calendar. [Source: municipal museums, Alcoy]
During the visit, travelers can take part in the Modernist and Industrial Route that winds through the city center, admiring facades such as Industry Circle, Escaló House, and the Turkey House. Sant Antoni Abat Cemetery forms part of the European Route of Important Cemeteries. Nature lovers can enjoy hiking trails in Serra de Mariola Natural Park and Font Roja Natural Park.
Weekly, from February to November, a Free guided visit to the La Sarga Cave Paintings offers access to a World Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO.
Museu al vent, four routes with audio guides to discover El Poble Nou de Benitatxell
Poble Nou de Benitatxell presents many attractions for visitors and locals alike. The municipality partnered with Lookish Spain to create the Museu al Vent project, which features four audio guided routes with 360º virtual reality. The urban route includes the Portalet, Santa María Magdalena Church, Jaime Llobell oratory, former Anticaciquista League headquarters, the old Cervera Cinema, and other landmarks.
The Abiar route passes by the L’Abiar recreation area and the natural well system that supplies water to residents. Another route, Puig Llorença, follows an old road linking the municipality with the base of the mountain. On this tour, visitors can see medieval quarry remnants among other sights. The Penya-Segats route runs along the entire coastline from Cala Llebeig to Morro del Roabit, offering stunning scenery and access to ancient caves used by fishermen, farmers, and smugglers.
The well-known Penya-Segats route is complemented by a sequence of stops and viewpoints, inviting exploration of the region’s historical and natural treasures.