The Casa Carcel exhibition rooms and public library in Molina de Segura

The exhibition rooms occupy the oldest building in Molina de Segura

The Casa Cárcel is one of the four exhibition venues run by the Town Hall of Molina de Segura , and occupies what is believed to be the oldest building in the municipality.

When it was first built in 1604 the building was intended as the grain store of Molina, where cereal was to be kept prior to distribution among the local population and seeds were to be preserved for planting. It was eventually restored in the late 18th century and was used for many years by the local authorities to keep wrongdoers locked up, hence its current name (“cárcel” means jail or prison).

Some of those spending the night here were prisoners being transported from Madrid and Castilla to Cartagena, stopping off in Molina during their journey.

On the façade can be seen the royal coat of arms of Felipe V, who ruled in Spain from 1700 to 1746, while inside, the arched ceilings are an attractive and impressive setting for exhibitors, a feature which was retained in the restoration overseen by architect Manuel Sánchez Varas.

The Casa Cárcel was adapted to host exhibitions in 1985, with the exhibition area on the ground floor, while the "Mercedes Mendoza" library and reading room are on the first floor and the municipal archive, containing documents dated since the 17^th century, and the children’s reading room are on the top storey.

The building is open to the public on weekdays from 17.00 to 21.00

Address: Calle Cervantes, 5, 30500 Molina de Segura

Telephone: 968 643730 (or the Department of Culture, 968 388519)

Click for full information about the Molina de Segura municipality in English