Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The wall commemorating 11,908 Jewish victims of the Shoah from Frankfurt.
Börneplatz Memorial
Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker
Simserhof
Carlos Calderón Yruegas calls the villa his personal playground.
Villa Tabaiba
Apples and pears, Spitalfields Market.
Brick Lane Roundels
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Biosphere 2 campus (2016)
Biosphere 2: How Volunteers Survived for 2 Years in an Airtight Habitat
about 18 hours ago
Places like Forest Grove linger on the edge of wilderness and civilization.
Listening for Echoes of the Forest Grove Sound
about 20 hours ago
Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years.
The Longwood House: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Beautiful Prison
1 day ago
 Fenway Park at night
How Was Your First Trip With Your Significant Other?
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Spain Madrid Carpetana Metro Station Museum

Carpetana Metro Station Museum

Replicas of fossils unearthed during renovation work reveal how this area would have looked millions of years ago.

Madrid, Spain

Added By
Luis Morato
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The corridor that connects the two hallways.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
The corridor that connects the two hallways.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
The mastodon.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Molar of mastodon Gomphotherium angustidens found in the deposit.   PePeEfe/cc by-sa 4.0
Mastodon   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Metro Carpetana   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Detail of the corridor.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Fossil replicas.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
The mastodon is displayed in the entrance where the fossils were found.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Environment recreation in the tube station.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Rhino jaws.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Fossil replicas.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
The Amphicyon was the main predator at that time.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Tooth and tusk of a mastodon.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Turtle   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

This underground museum is tucked within the Carpetana metro station in Carabanchel, a neighborhood in southern Madrid. Commuters rushing through the corridor can pause to admire informative panels about the fauna and flora that existed here 14 million years ago, replicas of fossils that were unearthed here, and even a reconstruction of an extinct type of mastodon.

In 2008, when workers were making improvements to the metro station, they discovered thousands of fossils while digging a pit. The Museum of Natural Sciences compiled the ancient specimens, making it possible to envision how this part of the city would have looked in the Middle Miocene.

At that time, the area that’s now ​​Carabanchel was covered with meadows and savannahs that alternated with swathes of swampy areas and ponds. Thanks to fossilized pollen grains, it’s known that various trees—oaks, laurels, beeches, firs, and more—grew from the land. Bear dogs, pumas, rhinoceroses, deer, primitive horses, and giant tortoises roamed the terrain.

The small museum within the subway station displays replicas of some of these extinct animals’ fossils. You’ll see the jaws of an Anchitherium, a primitive three-toed horse; wild boar tusks; bear dog jaws; and the tusk from a Gomphotherium angustidens, a type of mastodon. The fossil replicas are placed near a panel depicting how the area would have looked during their lifetimes.

Look toward the new entrance, and you’ll easily spot the museum’s star feature: a reproduction of a mastodon in all its enormous glory, standing guard next to the elevators. Another interesting feature is in the long corridor that connects this newer area with the old lobby. There, a mural formatted like a comic strip tells the story of the current metro station and the recovery work that exposed the remains, as well as shows the relationships between the many species that lived here millions of years ago.

Related Tags

Museums Museums And Collections Subways Subterranean Sites Subterranean Transportation Natural History Museums Fossils

Know Before You Go

The only requirement to visit the Carpetana Museum is to buy a Madrid metro ticket. This is a station on Line 6 of the Madrid Metro (gray line).

Community Contributors

Added By

Luis Morato

Edited By

Xavixavir

  • Xavixavir

Published

June 25, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estaci%C3%B3n_de_Carpetana
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpetana_(Madrid_Metro)
  • https://www.europapress.es/madrid/noticia-15000-fosiles-hallados-estacion-metro-carpetana-explican-fauna-flora-hace-14-millones-anos-20100104143551.html
  • https://www.infosierrademadrid.es/fosiles-metro-estacion-carpetana/
Carpetana Metro Station Museum
Madrid, 28025
Spain
40.392704, -3.740994
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Hermitage of Santa Maria la Antigua

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Colonia de la Prensa Gate

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Feria del Campo (Campo Fair)

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Madrid

Madrid

Spain

Places 123
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Hermitage of Santa Maria la Antigua

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Colonia de la Prensa Gate

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Feria del Campo (Campo Fair)

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Madrid

Madrid

Spain

Places 123
Stories 2

Related Places

  • Naples, Italy

    Stazione Neapolis

    A special area of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples is located inside a metro station.

  • Old driver’s uniform.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Museo del Metro (Metro Museum)

    This underground museum highlights the history of Mexico City's subway system.

  • Entrance to the museum.

    Zacatecas, Mexico

    Mina El Edén Rock and Mineral Museum

    The spectacular subterranean collection includes dazzling minerals, including a piece of "kryptonite."

  • London logo with Mexico City train.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Metro Auditorio

    This Mexico City subway station will make you feel like you've been transported to the London Underground.

  • Crystal Palace Subway.

    London, England

    Crystal Palace Subway

    A relic of Victorian grandeur hides beneath a busy South London road.

  • Lifesize model of Allosaurus with the museum in the backdrop.

    Colunga, Spain

    Jurassic Museum of Asturias

    A wonderful collection of fossilized dinosaurs and other creatures that roamed the landscape millions of years ago.

  • Temnodontosaurus platyodon skull at the Lyme Regis Museum.

    Lyme Regis, England

    Lyme Regis Museum

    A local museum honors the overlooked discoveries of Mary Anning, one of the first professional fossil hunters.

  • Covent Garden labyrinth.

    London, England

    London Underground Labyrinths

    A labyrinth hides in plain sight at each of the city's 270 Tube stations.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.