Coinciding with the new opening hours of the museum and the chairmanship of the Minister of Education, Culture and Sports, José Ignacio Wert, Telefónica has renewed in Madrid its commitment as a benefactor of the Prado Museum until 2016. The signing ceremony took place in the Cloister of the Jeronimos, with the assistance of Plácido Arango, President of the Board of Trustees of the Museo del Prado, César Alierta, Chairman of Telefónica and the minister Wert, who, upon his arrival, wanted to make a brief tour of some of the main floor rooms on the first day of public opening on Monday, as a sole priviliged witness.

The renewed collaboration commitment of Telefónica with the Prado, linked to the Visitor Services program of the institution, has been driven by the increasing social interest in the Museum's collections and activities, which in recent years has continued to register growth in visitors since the opening of its expansion. 13 million visitors have benefited from this program since 2007, of which more than 2.9 million correspond to those that visited the museum during the last year, which has been the highest registered public volume in the history of the institution.

In the coming years, and as a fundamental part of the museum's activity conducted and underwritten by Telefónica, the institution plans to continue expanding its services by implementing new technology solutions that enable greater enjoyment and understanding of their collections and sponsoring activities both inside and outside the museum. Once the agreement comes into effect, a new schedule of daily visits for the hours with most visitors will be applied. On weekdays, the visitation schedule in effect as of today is: 10 to 20h, Monday to Saturday and from 10 to 19h, Sundays and public holidays with full opening day (December 24, 31 December and January 6, from 10 to 14).

Summary statistics of the Museo del Prado:

Period 1993-2002

10 years prior to the opening of the Museum on Sundays and holidays.

Annual average: 1,721,845 visitors

The record of the period, 1,868,705 visitors, was reached in the year 1996 (year of the 150th anniversary exhibition Goya and Innocent X)

Period 2003-2006

Years when the institution opened on public holidays and Sunday afternoons before the inauguration of the expansion of the Museum.

Annual average: 2,113,037 visitors.

The record of the period, 2,318,525 visitors, was reached in the year 2003 (year of the exhibition Vermeer and the Dutch Interior, Titian and Manet at the Prado)

Period 2007-2011

Years with the expansion open to the public, including 2007, the year of its inauguration.

Annual average: 2,766,025 visitors

During this period, the highest visits in the history of the Museum were established, 2,911,767 visitors in 2011.

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