Dates
19 December 2025 to 10 April 2026
When?
Currently
Link
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This exhibition, which is a unique opportunity to learn about Palencia's commerce and its evolution over the years, can be visited until April 10, 2026.

Inaugurated on December 19th of last year, the exhibition comprises 194 photographs of 74 businesses in the city of Palencia, spanning from 1920 to the present day. The collection comes from various private photographic archives, as well as from photographers in Palencia.

The images correspond to many of the businesses that sustained commercial activity in the city and represent a large part of the small business sectors such as grocery stores, bars, haberdasheries or shoe stores, among others.

From 1833, when Javier de Burgos 's provincial reform structured the national territory into the division we know today, provincial capitals established themselves as the country's main centers of power. The administration of the new liberal and bourgeois state endowed them with the status of centers of power through the definitive establishment of provincial councils and government delegations. Simultaneously, these capitals were transformed and expanded. In Palencia , the city walls were finally demolished during the 19th century, the urban center grew, ecclesiastical properties were seized, and a new city was created, heir to the modern and medieval eras but already focused on the new times that were dawning.

A new city took shape, with the urban center becoming the hub of administration, the new homes of the bourgeoisie, and the center of services, leisure, and commerce. New commercial forms emerged, reflecting the capitalist development and consumerism that flourished throughout the 20th century.

Trade evolved from open markets and fairs, through sales by producers, artisans, and guilds, to a complete separation from industrial activities. The changes of the modern era brought about a separation between the manufacture of products and their marketing and sale.

New ways of selling, with counters and shop windows, sales staff attentive to shoppers' needs, signs and advertising announcing new products and offers. In short, the retail sector brings capital, dynamism, and innovation to the city. And not only that, it's not just local or nearby products that are offered, but it's possible to buy them from all over Spain, Europe, and the world.

In Palencia , Calle Mayor became the main hub of this new sector, attracting the best premises and most renowned businesses. But it's important to remember that this commercial boom swept through the entire city, bringing new businesses based on proximity to the public to the new neighborhoods that sprang up in the 20th century, fueled by population growth.

This exhibition serves as a testament to the importance and value this sector has had and continues to have in the city's economic growth, as well as its role in driving changes in the city's architecture and in citizens' consumption habits. It is also a gesture of gratitude to all the merchants who have contributed their photographs, both to enrich the Archive's holdings and to make this exhibition possible.

Guided tours, led by the center's photographer, will be offered on February 27th and March 13th and 27th at 12:00. No reservation is necessary.

Address and map location

  • Postal address Archivo Histórico Provincial de Palencia - C/ Niños del Coro, 4. municipality of Palencia . NaN. Palencia