Talking about Sagasta, then and now, is not talking about any institute, since the most historic IES in La Rioja does not allow comparisons with any other. Its status as “the only institute in Logroño until 1971” makes the center an educational and cultural reference in … our community, to which is added that institutions such as the Public Library, the Museum of La Rioja, the Ateneo or the IER began their journey under its protection or tutelage in its current headquarters. So did the School of Art, the Normal School of Teaching, the School of Commerce and others… “This is the main reason why the center in question has been accumulating an important heritage fund of a very varied nature.”
This is confirmed by the inventories prepared for the move in view of the comprehensive reform of the aforementioned IES, both the catalog of furniture and artistic objects and the one dedicated to the specific collections of Natural Sciences, and Physics and Chemistry. The latter, by the way, were basically found in 22 large cabinets made up of drawers and display cases, inventorying up to 1,321 objects. And to both catalogs would be added the library (with everything related to paper, beyond books including plates, engravings, cartography, etc.), which has always come to be cited along with the legacy of Dr. Zubía as the ‘jewels’ of such corona (who in his day, and as director of Sagasta, at the end of the 19th century and in up to two periods, cataloged 4,000 species of Riojan flora and fauna).
These are, in short, historical collections from taxidermy and fossils to engravings and maps, the herbarium of the scientist himself, works of art, furniture and objects of all kinds with which the center was equipped at the beginning of the 20th century. Everything inventoried and stored, properly, although not thinking that it would be forever, and it has been there for seven years.
Stone elements also stored seven years ago.
Juan Marin
In this regard, and among the historical institutes of Spain, to which Logroño belongs in its own right, it is often said that a move is half a fire and the ‘Práxedes Mateo’ already had previous experiences in this regard. Hence the challenge, now, is for everything to return (the creation of museums to save the heritage of the oldest institutes, the old secondary education centers, is common here and there given the academic and cultural treasures they hide). However, no one seems to know anything. From the IES management they refer to Education; and the Ministry, for its part, says that everything in due time.
The Sagasta, in fact, throughout its history already had a museum of reproductions and modern art, even in its day it was referred to as a Museum of Natural Sciences, understood as such the cabinets and display furniture in the hallways of the institute. And although some rehabilitations and exhibitions have served to maintain some (few) collections in the center, the bulk is in the premises of the Palace of Justice, where several hundred square meters have been occupied since 2017 by an entire heritage awaiting Education to move file.
“Education will project the museum spaces,” they recall, in fact, the bay corresponding to the façade with the Muro del Carmen is the one reserved for it and that is how it was designed during the comprehensive renovation – with an independent entrance, and up to two rooms for exhibitions (one permanent, another temporary) and other rooms for storage. It will require a budget, yes. And nothing is known.
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