The Royal Artillery Academy of Segovia houses one of Spain’s most outstanding geological collections: the Artillery Academy’s Geological Collection. Located in the Science and Technology Room within the former cloister of the Convent of San Francisco, this collection offers a valuable display of minerals, rocks and fossils, forming part of the military centre’s cultural and exhibition programme.

The collection comprises over 3,400 specimens, all carefully inventoried and catalogued. Although the fire at the Alcázar of Segovia in 1782 destroyed much of the original documentation, the original labels, engravings and trays for each specimen have been preserved. These details make it possible to reconstruct the evolution of mineralogical and petrological classifications in Spain over the last two centuries, thus giving the collection significant scientific and historical weight.

This Geological Collection is organised into several sub-collections of diverse provenance, age and type. The most important is the Main Collection, comprising approximately 2,300 specimens of minerals, rocks and fossils that constitute the oldest and most representative core of the collection. The Secondary Collection comprises some 486 additional mineral specimens, whilst the collection of the Spanish Geological Map Commission includes two sets of 200 specimens each, donated in the late 19th century for use in higher education institutions.

In addition to these groups, the collection includes ancillary items of scientific and educational interest, such as a selection of alloys and castings dating from the mid-19th century, comprising 125 pieces of metal scraps and smelting slag. Also noteworthy is a biological section featuring specimens of marine fauna, such as a sawfish saw and a gorgonian, amongst other invertebrate remains.

Among the most unique pieces are the carved minerals from the ‘Tesoro del Delfín’, a set of jewels gifted by Louis XIV of France to his son, inherited by Philip V and later donated to the Royal Cabinet of Natural History in Madrid by Charles III. There are also gold pieces from Siberia and specimens classified by the chemist José Fernández Ladreda, adding to the collection’s historical value.

The Artillery Academy is currently working on the relocation of this collection to what was formerly the centre’s Chemistry Laboratory, a space that will house a museum project dedicated to showcasing and preserving this valuable example of geological heritage. This new location will allow for better conservation and accessibility, ensuring the collection’s continued role as an important educational and cultural resource in Spain.