Early giant squid exhibits The giant squid collection that would form the core of Museo del Calamar Gigante began with the arrival of the first specimen in Luarca in 1997. The embryonic collection was originally exhibited at the Padre Galo public school (
Colegio Público Padre Galo) in the centre of Luarca from early 1998. In November 2002, It was subsequently moved to a Luis Laria stated that the warehouse "does not meet the minimum conditions [...] it would not be dignified to charge entrance to a visitor on whom the paintwork will fall" ("
no cumple las mínimas condiciones [...]
no sería digno cobrar la entrada a un visitante al que se le caerá la pintura encima"). At the time,
Vicente Álvarez Areces, the
President of the Principality of Asturias, said that the museum would be "an international reference center for the exhibition and dissemination of cephalopods" ("
un centro de referencia internacional de exposición y divulgación de cefalópodos"). Work would involve stabilising the slope adjacent to the museum site. The museum building, which had of floorspace and a
patio, was built at a cost of €1,260,000 (equivalent to US$ in ), financed by the Principality of Asturias. Both construction and subsequent repairs were undertaken by the construction company Sardesa Española. The squid collection alone was valued at €2 million (equivalent to US$ in ), with the individual giant squid specimens worth approximately €150,000 each (equivalent to US$ in ). Plans were drawn up for a concrete wall that would protect the museum from future wave damage CEPESMA eventually had to take out a €35,000 (equivalent to US$ in ) loan to repair the damage. The number of visitors rose 17% between 2012 and 2013, which was largely attributed to increased media exposure for CEPESMA. The museum occasionally hosted special events, such as the first conference on cephalopod science and gastronomy in September 2012
February 2014 destruction On 2 February 2014 the museum was hit by a devastating storm that washed away the building's
partition walls, doors, and any loose items inside, including specimens, chairs, and a collection of exhibited paintings. Some were swept out to sea while others could not be saved because their damaged tanks had lost their preservative fluid. The placement of the electrical panel at ground level was also singled out as "a huge risk" ("
un riesgo enorme"), as was the choice of large glass panels facing out to sea. The vandals gained entry by breaking locks and doors. Accounts for collecting donations were opened by
St. Timothy's Brotherhood (
Cofradía de San Timoteo) in Luarca and CEPESMA volunteers in
Gijón.
Abandonment of site In early 2015, more than a year after its destruction, the museum was described as having been abandoned, with the building left unprotected and its interior still filled with rubble. Guardado also announced that options would be explored to build a screen that would protect the facility against further storm damage. On 31 May 2016,
Valdés mayor Simón Guardado held a meeting with the Minister of Infrastructure, Belén Fernández, in which it was agreed that a temporary home would be found for the giant squid collection, with a commitment to eventually recover the original museum building. This would involve rebuilding the museum and reinforcing the adjacent
pier, with an aim to put the project out to tender between late 2016 and early 2017. On 4 February 2017, almost exactly three years after its destruction, another demonstration calling for the museum's reopening was organised. On the same day, the Principality of Asturias announced that it would commit €60,000 (equivalent to US$ in ) towards cleaning up the museum building in time for Easter. Additionally, the Ministry of Development was to initiate a €200,000 (equivalent to US$ in ) study into local sea dynamics to determine whether the site was viable for such a museum. A giant mural of Luarca-born
Nobel Prize–winning scientist
Severo Ochoa was unveiled on the building's western façade in May 2022. Measuring 16 by 10 metres, it was a collaboration between Valdés municipal council and the Art for Dent association and formed part of a project aimed at raising awareness of
Dent's disease.
Storage and eventual donation of specimens Following the museum's destruction in 2014, the surviving giant squid specimens were moved to CEPESMA's Parque de la Vida, which had opened in 2007 in La Mata, on the outskirts of Luarca; some were placed on public display as part of a exhibit that also included items related to
biology,
geology, and
astronomy. CEPESMA president Luis Laria put €23,000 (equivalent to US$ in ) of his own money into keeping three specimens at the park. and returns from
Biarritz Aquarium in
France), to
Valdés municipal council and stated that CEPESMA would not be involved in the management of the new museum; it was unclear which body would take over. The giant squid collection at Parque de la Vida featured in an episode of the
La 2 television program '''' ("Bizarre routes") first broadcast on 13 April 2021.
Initial relocation plans In July 2018, plans were unveiled for the museum to reopen in the premises of the local Fishermen's Guild (
Cofradía de Pescadores), just to the rear of the original museum building, with a tentative completion date of summer 2020. Preliminary plans to relocate the museum to the fishermen's warehouses had already been in place in 2017, when Luis Laria donated his remaining giant squid specimens to
Valdés municipal council. Luis Laria stated at the time: "the giant squid represent my past" ("
los calamares gigantes representan mi pasado"). This move, which had been under consideration since at least July 2019, was seen as far more economical, as it was estimated that the original plan—which called for the Fishermen's Guild to be converted into the new museum, new premises provided for the fishermen, and the former cinema separately converted into an auditorium—would have cost almost €3 million (equivalent to US$ in ). After further delays and inaction, in February 2020 the association Más Luarca Valdés called for "a dignified, solid and definitive solution" ("
una solución digna, sólida y definitiva") to the question of the museum's future.
Relocation to former nightclub A third relocation proposal was put forward in September 2020, this time to Luarca's old Villa Blanca nightclub. Work to adapt the nightclub—budgeted at €45,000 (equivalent to US$ in )—was to begin in January 2021 and be completed by March, followed by the construction of museum exhibits, for which an additional €48,000 (equivalent to US$ in ) was allocated. Tanks containing twelve cephalopod specimens were to be held in a municipal warehouse until work on the new museum was completed; transferred in January 2020, they remained there as of late 2021. The venue was criticised by
People's Party regional deputy Álvaro Queipo as being too small for its intended purpose, at only , and far from the port; Queipo commented that it "is not at the level of what this museum deserves, which has been an international jewel" ("
no está a la altura de lo que se merece este museo, que ha sido una joya de ámbito internacional"). In March 2021,
Valdés mayor Óscar Pérez stated that the giant squid museum was central to his strategy for revitalising the municipality's tourism industry. Pérez opined that the size of the former nightclub was sufficient to meet the museum's requirements, adding: "Being in the urban core area, it will make potential customers pass in front of various businesses such as shops, restaurants… and, therefore, it will favor economic activity. The reopening of the museum will help to structure the interior of Luarca, which never had significant resources for a flow of people." At the time, the museum was still set to reopen on 1 July 2021. It was also announced that in 2022 the Principality of Asturias would draw up plans for redeveloping the original harbourside building damaged in 2014. then to 1 July at the earliest, and later to 15 July. It was reported that the museum is to be entirely dedicated to the giant squid and its ecology, The main exhibits are to be housed in a single room of that will provide a circular tour taking about half an hour to complete, As of November 2021, the local government had invested around €46,000 (equivalent to US$) in the initial refurbishment of the former nightclub, €14,500 (equivalent to US$) to adapt it for public use, €71,000 (equivalent to US$) for realising the project, and €18,000 (equivalent to US$) for museum development. In its first four days, the museum received around 250 visitors. Following the museum's opening, there are plans for Luarca to host conferences and other events related to large cephalopods, with the local government hoping to secure the cooperation of the
University of Oviedo and Parque de la Vida. This will be combined with an effort to promote Luarca as a gastronomic destination for
squid tasting. ==See also==