We use it every day, but we rarely think of all it has seen. The Madrid Metro has been shortening distances in the city and influencing social, economic and cultural structures for more than 100 years. “Vestigia” is the new permanent exhibition at Chamartín station that pays tribute to the history of this means of transport.
It is a photographic exhibition that retraces the history of the company with 88 black and white snapshots. They are located inside Chamartín station and distributed inside and outside 12 old metro cars that have been restored to respect their original appearance.
In this way, not only the memory is collected not only through images, but also with physical materials. The old cars allow us to know how the people of Madrid moved in the 1960s, although some of them were still in use until 1991.
Stations that no longer exist
The photographs portray emblematic spaces of Madrid, old metro stations, disappeared vestibules and archaeological sites that were discovered during the tunnel works. They recall what the old carriages were like and how the metro worked decades ago.
In short, they bring the public closer to the elements of urban transport that marked an era and built the identity of the Madrid metro. Last year, the subway celebrated its 105th anniversary and this exhibition is another way of remembering its history.
Rubén Rodríguez Camarero is the photographer who captured these images. Beyond carrying a camera on his shoulders, he is a worker of the Metro de Madrid company itself, which has allowed him to capture the essence and the cultural and urban legacy of Madrid’s transport.
How to book a free visit
To visit the “Vestigia” exhibition it is necessary to have a Madrid transport ticket and to make a reservation. You can do either a guided tour, with a maximum of 28 people per group, or the free visit until full capacity is reached, both with a maximum time of approximately 40 minutes.
The reservation is made through the official website of the museums of the Madrid metro and registration for each month opens during the last week of the previous month. Visiting hours are Fridays from 4 pm to 8 pm, Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm and from 4 pm to 8 pm and Sundays from 10 am to 12 pm.
Remembering the history of Metro de Madrid
This exhibition at Chamartín station is in addition to the Metro de Madrid museums that are distributed throughout the different stations. All of them recall what the infrastructure of this transport was like in the past: the first metro line, the original appearance of the buildings or the original lobbies.
These visitable museums of Metro de Madrid are the Nave de Motores and the Vestíbulo de Pacífico in Pacífico station, Los Caños del Peral in Ópera station and the old Chamberí station in Chamberí station. A new exhibition will soon be opened in the Ventas concourse.
More free exhibitions
In addition to “Vestigia” there are several exhibitions that can be visited for free in Madrid. The old wagons are not the only way to travel back in time: you can also do it through the costumes and posters of the 1920s of the exhibition “Madrid Art Déco, 1925” or getting to know the work of Picasso through the drawings of Mingote, among other options.