Alajuela

The Atenas Railway Museum Costa Rica

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Haga click en el siguiente enlace para leer está página en Español: Museo Ferroviario de Atenas Costa Rica

The Atenas Railway Museum Costa Rica is located in the town Río Grande of Atenas, exactly at the railway station. Here, visitors not only learn about the history of the train, but they can see tools, railway work equipment, photos, and there is a chance to ride in a real locomotive. You can also gain valuable insights on agrarian culture, through the various tools and machinery used by farmers over the years.

The creation of the museum was initiated by Juan Arguedas, a former employee of the Costa Rican Railways Institute (Incofer in Spanish), who as a child was fascinated by the engines. But the idea of transforming the old railroad station into a museum, came from a group of neighbors who had formed a religious committee called the Jesus Heart Committee, who gave maintenance to the image that is in the place. It was after 1999 that this group began to worry about the deterioration and neglect that the building had fallen into. In this way was born the Rio Grande Station of Atenas Rescue Committee, a group set with the goal to restore the former railway station.

After several efforts, INCOFER gave the installations to the committee, which, through various activities and hard-work, managed to gradually restore the building, which was officially opened to the public on September 14th, 2001. Since then, the museum opens its doors on Sundays and holidays. From the museum you can admire the railway bridge dating from 1901 and parallel, the new vehicle bridge linking Rio Grande with Cebadilla, which was completed in 2002 and declared a Historic-Architectural Heritage of Costa Rica, according to Executive Decree No. 30936-C, published in Official Gazette No. 12 on January 17th, 2003.

The first station was built in wood, with the typical characteristics of railway stations: platforms, corridors, waiting room, office and warehouse. That first structure was entirely destroyed by a fire in 1933. The current building dates from the mid-1930, with 6 meters wide and 56.84 meters long. Internally, the distribution presents bedrooms, two warehouses, an office and a big place for boarding and unloading. The roof is made with galvanized iron, wooden walls with concrete plinth, the waiting room with wooden columns, wooden ceilings and concrete floor. In enclosed spaces, concrete floors, wooden walls, metal gates, wooden trusses, frames and glass.

The Atenas Railway Museum (Museo Ferroviario de Atenas) has a small sample of old photographs, an exhibition of tools and other objects associated with the railways, and with an agricultural area where, in addition to showing everything that farmers needed to do their job, visitors can also observe old kitchen appliances like mud ovens and “comales”. The museum also has a games and entertainment room, as well as a kitchen.

Address: Former Railway Station in Rio Grande, district: Concepción, canton: Atenas, province: Alajuela, Costa Rica. Zone postal code: 20505.
GPS Coordinates of Rio Grande of Atenas: 9.9624,-84.355889 (9°57’44.64″N, 84°21’21.20″W)
Schedule: Sundays and holidays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Phone: + (506) 2446-0091 / 810-0660

Address map: Click here to view directions from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), Alajuela, Costa Rica TO Rio Grande of Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica at Google Maps

Alajuela Municipal Theater, Costa Rica

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Address: Northwest side of the Juan Santamaría Park, district: Alajuela, canton: Alajuela, province: Alajuela, Costa Rica. Zone postal code: 20101.
GPS coordinates: 10.015128,-84.213803 (10°00’54.46″N 84°12’49.69″W)
Phone: +506 2436-2362

Address map: Click here to view directions from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), Alajuela, Costa Rica TO Alajuela Municipal Theater in Alajuela, Costa Rica at Google Maps

Alajuela Municipal Theater is located in the Former Acts Hall of the Alajuela Institute, which was used during the first half of the nineteenth century. For its architectural features, the building is part of the neocolonial style and was built by the architect José María Barrantes.

The property is on a concrete plastered zocalo. The main facade highlights the porch topped by a pediment of lines with a cavity in the middle. At the top level, there are four beautiful windows that illuminate the lobby area. The main entrance consists of a half-point arc with five stairs on the side. Right there is the ticket shop.

On the outside, the elements of the original plans have been respected, which are kept in very good condition. The lounge interior lends itself to adaptation, in pursuit of a good project with modern technical theater criteria. Today, the historic building is home to hundreds of cultural and recreational activities. Dance, music and theater are among the artistic disciplines that have appropriated its hallways. The theater maintains the original exterior structure from the Former Acts Hall of the Alajuela Institute.

The Alajuela Municipal Theater has three hundred good quality seats, imported from Mexico, and a new tier to give an Italian style. One important detail is that the theater has soundproofing and waterproofing in order to ensure a flawless sound. The master control is inside a cabin located in the front, in an elevated area from which you can control the sound, lights and even the air conditioning. The theater also has a “ciclograma” in the back, which is used to project topics of interest to the province of Alajuela through a video projector.

The mosaic floors are designed with a drawing of the 1950 season. Huge lanterns called “Spiders” will light the lobby that will be used eventually as an art gallery and next to it a small café will be installed, for a taste of the golden grain.