Archaeological Museum of Alicante

The Museu Arqueològic Provincial d'Alacant — known as MARQ — reopened in its current form in 2000, housed in a protected early-20th-century building in the heart of Alicante. Its permanent collection spans five thematic halls arranged chronologically: prehistory, Iberian culture, Roman civilization, the Middle Ages, and the early modern period, reflecting the region's exceptionally layered past. In 2004, MARQ became only the second Spanish museum after the Guggenheim Bilbao to win the European Museum of the Year Award, recognized for its hands-on, visitor-centered approach to presenting archaeological finds. Three additional galleries rotate special exhibitions drawing on local excavation material and broader Mediterranean themes.