Tenerife has a lot of cultural history, in addition to the beautiful landscapes that surround us. It is an ideal destination to take a cultural trip and visit museums and architectural environments of past centuries, full of history
If you are one of the people who like to combine a pleasant stay at GF Hotels to disconnect from the routine and day to day, with getting to know the local culture of Tenerife, with no doubt, this new post of our blog will interest you. Organizing a cultural trip on our Island can get you closer to knowing the influences that make our Archipelago so peculiar. After all, we are geographically very close to the African continent, culturally we are part of Europe and many of our customs come from Latin America.
The Canarian culture is the result of years of history and the mixture of many cultures. Therefore, we want to leave you some points of interest that you should not miss on your cultural trip to Tenerife.
Eduardo Westerdahl Museum of Contemporary Art
Reopened in 2007, it is located in the Royal Customs House of Puerto de la Cruz. If you are staying at GF Noelia you can visit it, as it is nearby. This museum launched in 1953 by the critic who gives its name, was a pioneering initiative of Spanish contemporary art.
Today, it represents a unique opportunity to know the art of the twentieth century in the Canary Islands, as it has great names such as César Manrique, Óscar Domínguez or Manolo Millares. Currently, in addition to the permanent collection of contemporary art of the twentieth century, many other activities are organized such as: the projection of cultural films, the provision of conferences and temporary exhibitions, among many other things.
Tenerife History Museum or Casa Lercaro
It is one of the headquarters of the Museum of History and Anthropology. It is located in the centre of San Cristóbal de La Laguna and dates from the end of the 16th century. In 1993, the Museum of History of Tenerife was inaugurated in Casa Lercaro. This exhibition project was born with the vocation of developing a work of dissemination of the historical evolution of Tenerife, offering an overview of the institutional, social, economic and cultural development of the island between the fifteenth and twentieth centuries.
In addition to carrying out research, conservation, dissemination and exhibition of funds and collections of the history of the island, the Museum has a great program, with a wide variety of cultural and educational activities.
Museum of Nature and Archeology
It is located in a prominent building in the capital, The Old Civil Hospital of Our Lady of the Forsaken, dating from 1975. Its main facade is considered one of the examples of neoclassical architecture, declared of Cultural Interest in 1983.
The Museum has gone through several phases of integral rehabilitation. After that long process, almost three centuries later, the transformation of that old hospital into a modern one has culminated.
La Laguna
Founded in the fifteenth century and until the nineteenth century, it was the capital of the island of Tenerife. It is the first example of an unfortified city of its time. Its space organized according to a new social order marked by a conception of peaceful life and facility for the promotion of commercial relations.
This circumstance of design and functionality of its buildings led to the World Heritage Committee (UNESCO) granting the City the title of World Heritage in 1999. Through its streets, we can visit various convents and monasteries, as well as houses of the families of the time.
La Orotava
It is the only city in the Canary Islands with an almost intact historic centre, which makes the walks through it comforting. Its historic centre was declared a Historic Artistic Site in 1976, its streets are full of buildings of great heritage interest. The Orotava Valley has always been characterized by its impressive landscape crowned by the Teide. However, it has numerous protected natural areas, as part of the Teide National Park and the Corona Forestal Natural Park.
Typical balconies that adorn the facades of their traditional houses are well known. As well as the carpets of flowers made during Corpus Christi, which has been celebrated since the 17th century.
From GF Hotels we offer you this guide to have a complete cultural trip through Tenerife and you can enjoy your vacation while you are staying in one of our hotels. In addition, we also recommend that you do not miss these villages. We hope we have aroused your interest in learning more about the history of Tenerife through its museums and historical centres. If you decide to carry out this activity during your stay, do not hesitate to contact our team! We will help you prepare your excursion in detail.
