Puerto Espacial: I went without knowing what to expect and left in love

While researching what to do for a getaway to celebrate our 3 years together, I found this option. Since I am drawn to rather random things, that is how I discovered Puerto Espacial.

I was scouring for things to do around Valladolid because the city is beautiful, but I wanted to explore the countryside a bit. This name appeared almost by accident in the results. A Star Wars exhibition in a castle, in a tiny village of fewer than a thousand inhabitants in the middle of Castilla y León. Honestly? I thought it was far too strange not to go.

And well, it ended up being one of my favourite activities of this trip.

Before talking about the visit itself, it is worth sharing where all this came from because the origin of the place is as cool as the final result.

During the pandemic, sculptor Juan Villa and his team found themselves without work overnight, with the audiovisual sector completely at a standstill. To avoid going stir-crazy during lockdown, they began creating figures and characters from the Star Wars universe as a pure hobby, without any larger plan. The problem was that the collection did not stop growing. Suddenly, they had dozens of pieces piled up in the studio and needed to do something with them.

Juan Villa already had experience with this type of project as he is the same sculptor behind Castillo Encantado), another fantastic themed exhibition located just a few minutes away. When the opportunity arose to occupy an old abandoned restaurant in Valoria la Buena (a building that the owner had decorated with local medieval stones to give it the appearance of a castle), the project took on proportions that even they had not imagined. After two years of intense work, Puerto Espacial opened its doors. It continues to grow even today, with new characters being added over time.

It is the kind of project born from genuine love for something. You can feel that in every corner of the exhibition.

What to expect inside

I will be honest with you. I am no Star Wars expert. I know the basics: I have watched some of the films and I know who Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker are, but I am far from being the type of fan who memorises lore and recognises every character by name. I went in without great technical expectations and left absolutely impressed by the artistic work.

The visit is self-guided, but there is a suggested order of rooms with little arrows scattered along the way that say "This is the Way" (a reference to the series The Mandalorian). It is a small detail that says everything about the care with which the place was designed.

Throughout the route, you pass through completely different settings. There is an extraterrestrial market full of creatures from across the galaxy, a cantina (with that classic Star Wars intergalactic bar vibe), an ice cave, a palace, and a hangar with ship replicas that will leave anyone speechless. Each space has its own atmosphere, lighting, and soundscape. It is exactly this layer of audio that transforms the visit from simply "seeing cool figures" to "being inside the universe". You find yourself walking slowly, paying attention to the sounds, not wanting to miss a single detail.

The figures themselves have a level of detail that is quite intimidating. Each character was sculpted by hand with textures, expressions, and finishes that look like professional film production because, in practice, that is exactly what Juan Villa does.