Museum

The Museum of the Galician People's Board of Trustees was constituted in Santiago de Compostela on 31st July 1976 in order to research, conserve, disseminate and promote Galician culture in all its forms, and specifically to create and maintain a museum dedicated to these objectives.

It fulfils a long-standing aspiration to create a centre where the most diverse expressions of Galicia’s traditional culture could be brought together in an organised and documented collection. Due to the rapid process of economic, social, and ideological change, these cultural expressions were undergoing a profound transformation in their fundamental characteristics, posing a consequent risk of identity loss.

The Museum of the Galician People is housed in the former convent of San Domingos de Bonaval, a monumental building owned by the Santiago City Council. In methodological terms, the Museum is classified within the field of cultural anthropology, which, by its very nature, intersects with other disciplines such as history, art, natural environment, science, and thought. The aim was to integrate the multiple manifestations of Galician culture into a single, comprehensive project.

The institution's activities fall into three main areas: the permanent exhibition rooms, temporary exhibitions and research work in the form of scientific and popular publications, congresses, courses and seminars.

The Museum also has a magnificent specialised library, with an archive of written, graphic and audiovisual materials, as well as a Department of Education and Cultural Action (DEAC by its Galician initials) which organises outreach activities for various groups and segments of society.

The institution operates thanks to the contributions of public and private entities, the trustees, members and other collaborators, as well as revenue from the general public.