Manolo Safont Tile Museum

The tile museum at the town of Onda, 50km north of Valencia, was started in 1968. It moved recently to a purpose-built and spacious gallery and was renamed for the Onda artist and ceramicist Manolo Safont (1928-2005). The museum is focused on architectural ceramics in Valencia. Onda is famous for its decorative tiles and ceramic murals and also for its decorated earthenware plates, bowls, jugs and basins. The museum collections totalling over 30,000 items, including tiles, vessels, tools, equipment and documents. They range in date from Roman times to the present day, and especially the 19^th and 20th centuries. The large, spacious galleries show tiles and ceramics together with equipment such as clay mills, tile presses, kilns, photographs of tile works and their workers and information about the continuing industry in the area. A complete tile kiln stands outside the museum.