• Espadrille

    making

    Discover all aspects
    related with this
    old trade practiced in
    our towns and villages.

  • Officially

    recognized

    A museum
    officially recognized
    by Generalitat
    Valenciana in 2016.

  • Museum

    Museu de l’Espardenya
    is part of the cluster
    of Museums of
    Banyeres de Mariola.

Banyeres de Mariola

This town in L’Alcoià, in the province of Alicante, was known for its production of espadrilles, a forerunner of the textile industry, now one of the cornerstones of the local economy.

Craft

The permanent exhibition on view at Museu de l'Espardenya wishes to heighten awareness of this local craft which is dying out.

Museum Holdings

The museum’s holdings are made up of the invaluable contributions by persons and organizations which have selflessly donated objects.

Splendour and Decline

The manufacturing of espadrilles had its moment of maximum splendour during the twentieth century. Little by little, the trade started to fall into decline until the last workshop finally closed in the 1960s.

Espadrilles

The exhibition explores all aspects of this shoe with a sole plaited in hemp, esparto or jute. It can also come with fabric toe and heel. And also with cords for tying around the ankle. The shoe consists of two main parts: the esparto sole and the fabric upper.

Raw Materials

We can physically touch the hemp, the most commonly used material, highly appreciated because of its ductility. Esparto, unlike hemp, was harvested locally in Banyeres de Mariola. Jute came from India.

Tools

The museum contains an excellent array of the tools used in making espadrilles. These include the most commonly used utensils, such as mallet, point turner, knives, gloves, templates, scissors, lasts, awls, hammers, etc.

The sole

The sole is the part of the shoe on which the bottom of the foot rests. The museum explains how the sole of an espadrille is made.

The upper

The upper textile part of the espadrille is sewn to the sole. The canvas is cut, paired, a border was stitched, and reinforced in the toe and the heel, then the sole was attached to the wooden last and the fabric was sewn.

The Process

The large illustration panels show all the various steps in the process of making espadrilles, from growing the raw material all the way to its final distribution, including a detailed description of the manufacturing process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE MUSEUM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



3D

 

 

Location of Museum

Museu de l'Espardenya is located in the Villa Rosario municipal park in Banyeres de Mariola, in a unique cluster along with other museums: Museu Torre Font Bona, Museu de l'Espardenya, Museu Valencià del Paper, Museu de la Paraula and Museu de la Farmàcia.

Know more...

 

 

Available Services

    Parking

The museum has reserved parking spaces for persons with reduced mobility at the entrance to Villa Rosario park.

    Access

Access for persons with reduced mobility is adequately signposted. Access to the first floor is by elevator.

    Audio-description

An adapted audio-description system is available for the visually impaired in Valencian, Spanish, English and French.

    Adapted

Panels include braille for the visually impaired.

    Interactive

The museum contents are presented interactively for a more dynamic experience.

    Sensorial

Visits to the museum and some of its installations can be augmented through other senses: sight, touch and smell.

    Didactic

The Didactic Suitcase is an educational resource available for school activities.

    Multimedia

A touch screen offers visitors a chance to consult archive materials in the museum’s holdings.

    Projections

A documentary video includes testimonies from old espadrille makers and shows the process of making these handcrafted shoes.

    Recreations

The recreation of an old workshop shows us the typical place where espadrilles were made.

    Collection

The museum’s collection of objects is made up of private donations and bequests.

    Languages

The information on all the panels in the museum is available in three languages: Valencian, Spanish and English.

The Building

The museum is located in a two-storey building dating from the early twentieth century in Villa Rosario, now a municipal park which also houses other museums and offices with complementary services which can be used by visitors.

Access for persons with reduced mobility is through the side entrance to Villa Rosario park. A member of the museum staff will facilitate access to visitors in need of assistance.

Resources

    Didactic suitcase

This resource has a teaching guide that you can download:
TEACHING GUIDE

    Leaflet

You can download the leaflet with the basic explanations and data of the museum:
LEAFLET

 

Directory

1. Location
2. Documentary
3. Espadrilles
4. Raw Materials
5. Tools
6. Utensils
7. Making the Sole
8. Fabric uppers
9. Espadrilles workshop
10. Manufacturing process
11. Manufacturers in Banyeres
12. Origin of the espadrille
13. Espadrilles in Banyeres
14. Tactile table

 

Esparto Workshop


(Temporarily canceled by Covid regulations)

One of the regular activities organized at the museum
is the esparto workshop which gives people an
insight into the basics of this technique.
For information on dates of workshops please contact
the museum by phone 965 567 770, WhatsApp 685 400 893
or email museus@portademariola.com.

 


Group visit

We recommend that, before filling out the form, call 965 567 770 to check that the day you want is available for the visit.

FORM

 

Admission to Museu de l'Espardenya is free. A ticket can be purchased that covers all the other museums.


ADMISSION

A- 0,00 €. Children under 12, people with functional diversity, teachers (with ID), residents in Banyeres de Mariola and special groups.

D- 2,00 € (Admission to four museums) Students, youth card, retired or over 65, unemployed, groups of more than 15 people and large families.

E- 4,00 € (Admission to four museums) Non-residents in Banyeres de Mariola.