The 175th Anniversary of Spain's Civil Guard

"Always faithful to its duty, serene in the face of danger, and performing its functions with dignity, prudence, and steadfastness": 175 years by your side.

By Museum of the Civil Guard

Museum of the Civil Guard

Display Panels (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

A Commemorative Exhibition

Between March 28 and April 14, 2019, an exhibition was held in the La Arquería gallery in Nuevos Ministerios government building in Madrid, which examined the past, present, and future of Spain's Civil Guard. The exhibition was held to commemorate the force's 175th anniversary.

Civil Guard Vehicles (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

Since its inception, the Civil Guard has served Spain's population. Its officers are visible on Spain's roads and mountains, on motorbikes, and driving other law enforcement vehicles.

Trying Out New Technology (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

However, there is much more to the Civil Guard, which has evolved alongside Spanish society.

To display how the Civil Guard fully embraced the digital era, exhibition visitors had two virtual-reality headsets available, through which they could view different videos such as mountain rescues or highway patrols.

These videos gave the viewer a first-hand look at the work that these specialist units do; something that members of the public don't often get the chance to see.

Historical Display Panels (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

The ten display panels of this exhibition were the result of research into the Civil Guard's 175 years of history, summarizing the key aspects of this work.

Backlit Logo (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

The logo designed for the 175th anniversary of the Civil Guard represents its evolution over the years and is a brief, but meaningful, slogan that signifies the main role of the force.

Jacket and Hat (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

The Uniform

The first known photograph of a Civil Guard officer shows him wearing the classic red and blue jacket and characteristic hat, known as a "tricorne," which was slightly larger than the hat worn by officers today.

Mannequins Wearing Historic Civil Guard Uniforms (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

The uniforms worn by the Civil Guard over the years have evolved to varying degrees, depending on the role being carried out, the unit to which the officer belonged, and their location. The earliest uniforms were designed to inspire respect and elegance, while more recent ones have a greater emphasis on functionality.

Mannequins Wearing Historic Civil Guard Uniforms (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

Such features have been considered of the highest importance since the Civil Guard was established. As the saying goes, "the uniform makes the man."

Horse and Civil Guard from the Cavalry Squadron (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

The Civil Guard's Cavalry Squadron still wears period uniform for flagship events, with the traditional red and blue of the early Civil Guards and a slightly adapted version of the hat for formal events.

Civil Guard Headquarters (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

A Force Dedicated to Serving Citizens

There are Civil Guard headquarters in most Spanish towns, and in places where the Civil Guard no longer has a presence, there is usually still an old Civil Guard building.

Civil Guard Single Bedroom (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

Staff nowadays have the option of living in an official residence, although in the past, they typically lived with their families in Civil Guard barracks.

As travel was an intrinsic part of the duties of a Civil Guard officer, they each traveled with a chest that doubled up as a desk in their rooms—until those rooms began to be used for storing equipment and uniforms.

Regulation Civil Guard Chest (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

The chests were designed to house everything they needed in the performance of their duties, as well as to make it easy for them to pack up and leave for a new destination by simply closing the lid and setting off.

Civil Guard Captain's Office (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

Professionalism and Respect at All Times

In this fast-paced era where everything is just a click away, it's difficult to imagine how wages used to be paid at an official event, with a certain degree of ceremony, held regularly in the barracks.

Río Segura Patrol Boat (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

Logistics: An Essential Part of the Service

The Civil Guard has a wide range of equipment at its disposal for the performance of its duties, such as several vessels and aircraft.

Regulation Civil Guard Bicycle (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

And in this era of cycling as a trend, not just for leisure but as a means of transport, with several countries giving some of their security forces bikes for certain services, the Civil Guard can boast that from 1914 onward, it used bicycles as its official vehicle for a few years in its "velocipedes" unit.

Terrorism Gallery (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

Fighting in Defense of Freedom

Throughout its history, great responsibility has been laid upon the shoulders of the Civil Guard in relation to the defense of freedom in the face of terrorism—both national and international.

In Memoriam (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

The voices of those colleagues who have been silenced in this battle are testimony to the strength of their commitment to the war on terror.

Tribute to Colleagues Who Lost Their Lives in the Line of Duty (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

And those colleagues who gave their lives in the line of duty are ever-remembered.

Opening of the Exhibition Commemorating the 175th Anniversary of Spain's Civil Guard (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

Reception

Given its importance, the exhibition's opening ceremony was performed by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, accompanied by the force's General Director, Félix Vicente Azón Vilas.

Logo designed for the 175th anniversary of the Civil Guard (2019-03-28)Museum of the Civil Guard

The exhibition closed on April 14, 2019, having received close to 10,000 visitors.

Credits: Story

The exhibition was curated by the Civil Guard, with the participation of staff from a variety of its units. It was thanks to their efforts that this commemoration of the Civil Guard's 175 years of history was so successful and engaging.

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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