Malpartida de Cáceres lies just about 10km to the west of the city Cáceres and has 2 fascinating things to offer: the Vostell museum and the natural landscape of Los Barruecos.
(photo license) – we were not allowed to take pictures
The museum was founded in 1976 in a former wool laundry (Lavadero de Lanas) from the 18th centuries, where sheep were sheared, the wool weighed, washed and sold to wool processors. A little reservoir next to the large building provided the necessary water.
Nowadays, the museum shows the work of the German painter, sculptor, Fluxus and Happening artist Wolf Vostell and other artists who engaged in experimental art performances in the 1960s and 1970s. The performances emphasised the artistic process over the finished product. There were some very fascinating installations, many included a car.
The exhibition extends into the surrounding nature reserve called Los Barruecos. Big masses of granite have degraded over millions of years to globular monolithic forms called bolos, sculptures formed by nature. Storks have their nests on top of the largest boulders. There is a circular route around the lake, which took us to many of these formations.
The next day, we stopped at Casar de Cáceres, where a market is held every Friday. We didn’t choose the famous cheese Torta de Casar, but decided on some mature goat cheese and smoked paprika flakes.
We are now on the way to the cradle of the conquerors – Trujillo. More on our next post!