Fournier Museum of Playing Cards facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fournier Museum of Playing Cards |
|
|---|---|
| Native name Spanish: Museo Fournier de Naipes de Álava |
|
 |
|
| Location | Cuchilleria, 54 01001 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain |
| Website | official website: https://fourniermuseoabibat.eus/es/inicio |
| Official name: Museo Fournier de Naipes de Álava | |
| Type | Non-movable |
| Criteria | Monument |
| Designated | 1984 |
| Reference no. | RI-51-0005128 |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
The Fournier Museum of Playing Cards is a special museum in Vitoria, Spain. It's all about playing cards! You can find it in the beautiful Bendaña Palace.
This museum started as a private collection in 1916. A man named Félix Alfaro Fournier, whose family owned a famous playing card company, began collecting them. Later, the government of Álava bought his amazing collection. In 1984, it was even declared a Bien de Interés Cultural, which means it's a very important cultural treasure. In 1994, the museum moved to its current home, sharing the Bendaña Palace with the Álava Museum of Archaeology.
The Museum's Home
The Fournier Museum of Playing Cards is located inside the historic Bendaña Palace. This grand building was built a long time ago, in the early 1500s. That was during the Renaissance period, a time of great art and new ideas.
Juan López de Arrieta ordered its construction in 1525. It was built on land that once held a medieval tower. Even though it's a Renaissance building, you can still see some older Gothic styles. Look for the pointed arch at the main entrance on Cuchilleria Street. Also, check out the cool star-shaped ceiling on the inner stairs!
The palace's courtyard is a great example of Renaissance design. It has three floors with open, arched walkways. This style was common for fancy homes back then.
Amazing Card Collection
.jpg)
The collection at the Fournier Museum of Playing Cards began in 1916. Félix Alfaro Fournier started it after his grandfather, Heraclio Fournier, passed away. His grandfather had founded the famous Naipes Heraclio Fournier card factory.
In 1984, the Álava government bought the collection. At that time, it had about 3,400 decks of cards! They first showed them at the Fine Arts Museum of Álava. But the collection kept growing and needed more space. So, in 1994, it moved to the bigger Bendaña Palace.
This museum is quite special because there are only a few museums in the world dedicated to playing cards. It's a unique place to visit!
The museum's main display shows only a small part of its huge collection. They have more than 20,000 decks of cards! These cards come from all over the world, from every continent.
When you visit, you'll go on a journey through history. You'll see how playing cards have changed from the 1400s until today. Besides card decks, the museum also displays old machines. These machines were used to make playing cards throughout history. It's a great way to learn about how cards are made and how they've been used for centuries!
See also
In Spanish: Museo Fournier de Naipes para niños
