A CENTURY ago, women in Spain faced serious limits on their independent role in public and intellectual life.
In Madrid, a group of women decided to create a place where they could discuss literature, art, science and their rights.
They also wanted to build professional networks and take a greater part in public life.
Their work led to the Lyceum Club Femenino, officially opened on November 4, 1926, which became an important centre for cultural and social change in Spain.
It was inspired by similar clubs in cities such as London and Paris.
But in Spanish society, it meant more than a cultural meeting place. Women could join and create their own network to share ideas and experiences, without men as members.
The club had sections for literature, music, visual arts, science and social work.
Its meetings and talks gave women a chance to speak in public at a time when their voices were often overlooked.
This year marks 100 years since the club was founded.
Maria de Maeztu, a teacher and campaigner for women’s education, was the club’s first president.
Other women linked to the club included lawyer and politician Victoria Kent, Clara Campoamor, a leading campaigner for women’s right to vote, and writer and translator Zenobia Camprubi.
Journalist and diplomat Isabel de Oyarzabal and writers such as Elena Fortun also took part in its activities.
The Lyceum’s importance went beyond bringing well-known women together.
Its members wanted to put their ideas for social change into action.
The club’s social section set up two important projects: Casa de los Niños, which provided free childcare for working women, and the Book Committee for the Blind, which aimed to give blind people better access to books and education.
These projects showed that the members cared not only about women’s role in culture, but also about the needs of people facing hardship.
The club closed during the Spanish Civil War and the political changes that followed.
Its premises were seized and taken over by women’s groups linked to the Falange.
For many years, the Lyceum’s history was pushed into the background by political repression and the limited place given to women in official accounts of Spain’s past.
100 years later: bringing its story back to light
Now, on the club’s centenary, Spain’s culture ministry has organised a programme to bring its history to wider attention.
A centenary exhibition is on show at the Ortega-Marañon Foundation in Madrid from September 2026 to January 2027.
The foundation is based in a building that was once home to the Residencia de Señoritas, a residence for female students.
The residence helped women gain greater access to education and higher studies in Spain, but closed when the Spanish Civil War began.
The exhibition follows the club’s history in five sections, from its founding and members to its social work, closure and lasting legacy.
It includes 184 items, such as documents, photographs, letters, membership cards, a register of members and examples from the club’s original library.
One important item is the register, known as the ‘Zubiaurre book’.
Pilar de Zubiaurre was a writer, intellectual, pianist and founding member of the Lyceum Club. The register was part of her personal archive.
Showing it has helped researchers identify members of the club who were less well known.
Recent research for the exhibition has increased the number of women identified in the club’s historical records from 402 to around 500.
Researchers have also recovered the first names of many women who appeared in old records only under their husbands’ surnames.
This work to restore forgotten names and experiences is a central part of the exhibition.
The Lyceum’s story shows that cultural and social change was not the work of a few famous figures alone.
Women from different backgrounds and professions worked together to create an independent space and widen their opportunities to take part in public life.
A century later, bringing this story back to light helps us better understand women’s contribution to Spain’s cultural history.
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