The Municipal Museum of Vigo, known as the Quiñones de León Museum. It contains one of the best permanent collections of Galician painting, as well as an interesting archaeology section. It is located in the Castrelos manor, one of the most architecturally outstanding manors in Galicia, a building whose origin is the old Lavandeira manor, built in 1670, years after the foundation of Captain Juan Tavares in 1665. It is surrounded by gardens with French and English influences. The museum was inaugurated on July 22, 1937. The Castrelos park and its manor belonged between 1678 and 1918 to the Gago de Mendoza Oca Sarmiento and Montenegro family, from Antonio Feliz Tavarés Ozores and Sotomayor to Fernando Quiñones de León and Elduayen, IX Marquis of Valladares and VII Marquis of Mos. 2 Married to Marianne Wythe, he died without descendants at the age of 34, and left his father, Fernando Quiñones de León y Francisco-Martín, III Marquis of San Carlos, I Marquis of Alcedo Grandee of Spain of the first class and VII Marquis of Montevirgen, as heir. Since he had no grandchildren, he donated the park and the palace to the Vigo City Council.

The gardens

Outside, the transformation of the manor’s rear orchard at the end of the 19th century, apparently with the Portuguese firm Jacintho de Mattos from Porto, offers five hectares with the category of a historic garden and a botanical route of high aesthetic value. It is divided into five sectors: access, upper rose gardens, French garden, English garden, and forest.