Orihuela City Council’s Department of Equality has opened a new Playmobil exhibition at La Lonja, celebrating the lives and achievements of ten women who helped change history.
The exhibition, titled “Mujeres Célebres” — “Famous Women” — was officially inaugurated on Monday by Orihuela mayor Pepe Vegara and Equality councillor Agustina Rodríguez. It will remain open to the public until 3 July.
Designed as both a cultural and educational project, the exhibition uses more than a thousand Playmobil pieces and two large-scale models to recreate the stories of women who made major contributions in fields such as education, politics, literature, music, science, art, aviation, fashion and women’s rights.
The figures represented include Maria Montessori, the doctor and educator whose methods transformed teaching; Clara Campoamor, a key figure in securing women’s suffrage in Spain; writer Virginia Woolf; violinist Stefi Geyer; botanist Lilian Suzette Gibbs; painter Tamara de Lempicka; aviator Amelia Earhart; designer Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel; sculptor Camille Claudel; and composer and suffragist Ethel Mary Smyth.
Councillor Rodríguez said the exhibition aims to bring female role models closer to the public, particularly younger generations, while highlighting the barriers these women had to overcome.
“This activity values the lives and work of women who fought to break gender roles and occupy spaces that had traditionally been reserved for men,” she said. “We are doing so in a very visual, creative and original way, using Playmobil figures to transmit values of equality and help prevent gender-based violence.”
Schools in the municipality will be invited to visit the exhibition, with guided tours organised by the Equality Unit to help pupils learn more about the women featured and their contributions to society.
Mayor Vegara praised the initiative, describing education as the key to social change. “There is no easier way to educate than through play,” he said. “This exhibition speaks about equality, the value of women and the courage of those who helped society move towards the equality that should be everyone’s goal.”
The exhibition also reflects on the struggle for political and civil rights, access to education, equal pay, voting rights and full participation in professional and public life.
Guided visits can be requested through the Department of Equality for individuals, schools and groups wishing to learn more about the stories behind the display.
