Museums and Culture.

This church was the first to be founded in Tenerife in 1511 and is the matrix from which all the others derive. It has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest and classified as a Historical-Artistic Monument since 1947. It houses several pieces and sculptures from the Canary Islands and Europe which are well worth a visit.

It dates back to the 16^th century, when Los Remedios church was built. It was not until 1819 that the building became a Cathedral. In 1983, it was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, being its neoclassical style façade the only remaining feature of its past. The Baroque-style altarpiece dedicated to the Virgen de los Remedios or the huge pulpit of Italian marble are some of the main pieces that are kept inside the church, without forgetting the rich heritage and artistic wealth of its great Treasure Room.

Este templo católico forma parte del antiguo convento de la Orden de Predicadores que funcionó hasta 1838. En este edificio catalogado como Bien de Interés Cultural, fue custodiada la imagen de la Virgen de Candelaria en su primera salida del municipio que lleva su nombre en enero de 1555.

This architectural site, located between the diocese and the former convent of San Agustin, is made up of a hospital, the city’s first charity centre, which was built in the 15^th century, and an 18^th-century church that houses several highly valuable religious images. This former convent currently houses the Adrián Alemán Municipal Library.

Casa Lercaro (the Lercaro house) is one of the headquarters of the Museum of History and Anthropology (MHA). The building dates back to the end of the 16^th century, when the Lercaro, a family of Genoese merchants, arrived on the island after the Conquest and began its construction.

In December 1993, the Museum of History of Tenerife was inaugurated inside the Lercaro House. This exhibition project was born with the aim of spreading the history of the island of Tenerife, offering an overview of the institutional, social, economic and cultural development of the island from the 15^th to the 20^th century.

The Museum of Science and the Cosmos of Tenerife is by no means a traditional museum, since, apart from having a permanent exhibition, it allows visitors to get close to and experiment with the laws that govern the principles of Nature from the earth to the stars.

The main purpose of this museum is to communicate science, using many means, especially allowing interaction and experimentation with objects and experiments in the most multidisciplinary environments.

The construction of this palace was ordered by the Count of the Valle de Salazar in 1681. The building has two floors, and an outstanding façade with central ornaments, a coat of arms and zoomorphic gargoyles. Since the 19^th century it has been the episcopal seat of the Nivariense Diocese and has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest. In 2006 the building was ravaged by fire and its restoration and reconstruction took 3 years.

The Leal theatre opened its doors in September 1915, and soon became one of the first venues that adequately met the needs required by 19^th-century society, which was very demanding with regard to cultural events by the end of the century. It hosted all kinds of musical comedies, grand operas and floral games, as well as more popular events and festivals, thus democratising and bringing culture closer to the public. This was also the place where the first major film screenings took place. This went on until the ‘60s when it became the Teatro Leal de La Laguna, as we still know it today.

After the conquest of Tenerife, Garachico became the island’s main fishing and commercial port until a volcanic eruption destroyed it. The cobbled streets of Garachico have a rich and well-preserved architectural heritage from the 16^th and 17^th century, which is why this place was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1994. It was also granted the royal status of Villa and designated as Port by King Alfonso XIII in 1916. On the coast of this municipality there are large estates where bananas are grown, while in the midlands, we find smallholdings where farmers practice subsistence agriculture.

The history of this municipality, which dates back to the 16^th century, has remained almost intact to this day. It is located at the most north westerly tip of the island and its main heritage assets are its historic quarter and the hamlets of Masca and El Palmar. The Church of Los Remedios and its square stand right at the heart of this historic quarter, which was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 2005. This is a great spot for you to experience the local way of life and customs. In the surrounding areas you will find institutions and buildings of great heritage significance.

Located right at the heart of a valley that bears the same name, La Orotava stands out for its perfectly preserved buildings, which is why the historic quarter of this municipality -which stands at an altitude of 390 metres above sea level- was declared a Historic-Artistic Site in 1976. Its streets are dotted with buildings of great heritage value and special corners of great importance to the municipality. This area is known for the classic balconies that dot the façades of its traditional buildings, the floral and volcanic sand carpets that every year are laid on the streets of La Orotava to celebrate the Corpus Christi, and its traditional Holy Week celebrations, held since the 17^th century.

Commonly known by its acronym, TEA, this peculiar building with diagonal elements and sloping floors with ramps connecting the different levels, houses the Óscar Domínguez Institute, the Photography Centre of the Island of Tenerife and the Island Library. This makes this building an unprecedented cultural infrastructure in the Canary Islands since it opened its doors in 2008.

The Museum of Nature, Archaeology and Man (MUNA, as per its Spanish acronym) is housed in an emblematic building of the island’s capital, the former Civil Hospital, an outstanding example of the neoclassical architecture of the Canary Islands. Its rehabilitation project focused on achieving the right spatial balance between the areas intended for exhibitions and the areas meant to be used for other purposes, either cultural or leisure oriented activities. This museum allows visitors to learn about the natural wealth of the Canary Islands and displays the largest existing collection of Guanche culture, the aboriginal inhabitants of the island of Tenerife before the arrival of the first European conquerors.

The first tourists that travelled to the Canary Islands arrived in this place, which still retains its historic seafaring character despite the hundreds of thousands of visitors it welcomes every year. Early in the morning, small fishing boats arrive with the fresh catch of the day at its fishing dock, which has remained intact over the years. Enjoy the pleasure of sitting at the Plaza del Charco while enjoying the scenery. Or treat yourself to an ice-cream in one of the charming ice-cream parlours nearby. And what a privilege it is to sit there and watch the waves break on the coast of San Telmo, with the breath-taking Lago Martiánez in the background. It all makes for a wonderful postcard image.

The historical Acclimatization Garden of La Orotava was founded in 1788, born from the need of growing different species from the tropics in an optimal region of the Spanish territory. It is one of the city’s main attractions, visited each year by thousands of tourists. Inside, there are more than 4,000 plant species, including important collections of tropical and subtropical plants of great economic and ornamental value, as well as many different trees of great beauty and considerable botanical interest, on account of their large size, their age or their rarity.

The Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín, designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, is a building with a strong sculptural impact. Located in an unparalleled scenic setting, this auditorium offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy a great architectural work next to other works of nature, such as the sea and the mountain range of the ancient Anaga massif. This building consists of successive platforms featuring the large structure of the Symphonic Hall, which sweeps upward in a curve. In addition to its suggestive spaces and architectural structures, it offers a varied programme, -which can be viewed on its official website-, with different programme cycles such as the Tenerife Danza, Jazz Atlántico, Músicas del Mundo, Entre Amigos or Grandes Intérpretes, and is complemented each year by the new season of the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, the Opera and the Canary Islands Music Festival.