Espacio Fundación Telefónica

Espacio Fundación Telefónica

To visit the building and the exhibitions, you must previously have chosen your time slot and obtained your free ticket from the venue’s website.

A reduced number of visitors are allowed and social distancing rules must be followed.

The Espacio (inaugurated in May 2012) is located in the emblematic building of Madrid’s Gran Vía and can be accessed by the street Fuencarral, 3. This building, constructed between 1926 and 1929, was inaugurated in 1930 as the new headquarters of the company, became the first skyscraper in Europe and was the tallest during almost a year.

The intentions behind the location of the Telefónica Foundation Espacio were to place it in what was, and still is, a unique historical building thanks to its architecture, in a state-of-the-art space with design and modernity. The project is the result of a collective work coordinated by Telefónica Foundation and directed by the architecture Miguel Ángel García Alonso – director of the Quanto Arquitectura study-.

The space aims to be a reference of 21st century culture to reflect and debate the adventure of telecommunications and art in the past, present and future, serving as a meeting point between the historic avant-garde and the knowledge revolution in which we are living today. Its 6,000 m2, divided over four floors, is devoted to the dialogue between art, technology and the new forms of communication through different workshops, guided visits, an auditorium and various exhibition spaces, which makes it an ideal place to visit with children and teenagers due to the peculiarity of the building (its lift and staircase deserve a visit) and its permanent exhibition on the History of Telecommunications.

The History of Telecommunications

This permanent exhibition offers the opportunity to discover a collection unique in Spain and understand the evolution of telecommunications in our country.

From primitive distance communication systems, to the latest in satellite connections; from the first telephone of the nineteenth century to the latest model with internet. The visitor will see how communication systems have evolved from when telephone operators dialled the connections manually, to new technologies that allow us to connect and communicate in real time with everyone.