The mayor of Logroño, Conrado Escobar, and other representatives have officially opened the exhibition 'Nikola Tesla: The genius of modern electricity' in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. This travelling exhibition explores the life and work of the Serbian engineer, a pivotal figure in the history of science due to his inventions that shaped the 20th century.
Co-produced in collaboration with the Nikola Tesla Museum, the exhibition acknowledges the contributions of the brilliant inventor, including the induction motor, the development of alternating current as an energy source, and wireless transmission of energy and information. Visitors will have the opportunity to engage with electromechanical modules that demonstrate the principles behind Tesla's inventions in an educational manner.
Tesla was a true pioneer in both expanding scientific fields and exploring technologies that were not yet widely recognised, such as robotics and interplanetary communications. He holds 280 documented patents across 26 countries, with many more believed to remain unidentified. Despite his genius and vision, Tesla struggled with business acumen and was often plagiarised by contemporaries. After decades of significant contributions, many of which led to his financial ruin, he died in solitude and was largely forgotten until later becoming a popular icon surrounded by various conspiracy theories.
This exhibition, which was first displayed in a traditional format at the CosmoCaixa Science Museum and various CaixaForum locations, has now been adapted into a travelling format that will visit numerous cities in Spain and Portugal. In Logroño, it will be available until 8 December 2026, featuring two mobile units that transform into two 100-square-metre exhibition halls, allowing the Fundación 'la Caixa' to bring Tesla's legacy to a broader audience.
Exhibition details
The exhibition provides a chronological journey through Tesla's life and the technological advancements he championed, beginning with his birth in 1856, which was shrouded in legend due to occurring during a summer thunderstorm, interpreted by some as an extraordinary omen. It highlights how his curiosity about electrical phenomena was sparked at a young age when static electricity caused sparks while he was petting his cat.
As a young man, Tesla began studying electrical engineering at the Polytechnic School in Graz, where he devised new types of motors. By the summer of 1883, while working for the Continental Edison Company, he presented his first major invention, the induction motor, which was based on his obsession with creating a motor that operated using a rotating magnetic field rather than a commutator and brushes, as was common at the time.
Despite his groundbreaking ideas, Tesla struggled to secure financial backing for his revolutionary induction motor and decided to leave Europe in search of opportunities. In 1884, he moved to New York, where he began working for Edison Machine Works, improving the lighting network in the city, which then relied on direct current and required frequent replacement of carbon electrode lamps.
Tesla's relationship with Edison soured when Edison failed to fulfil financial promises, leading Tesla to resign and establish his own company, the Tesla Electric Light & Manufacturing. This period was marked by significant financial difficulties and depression as he focused on developing the potential of alternating current, which varies in intensity and voltage over time, as opposed to direct current, which remains constant.
George Westinghouse, interested in the commercial applications of alternating current, acquired rights to seven of Tesla's patents, enabling the efficient long-distance transmission of electricity. Tesla began working at Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company during a fierce competition among American companies, with Edison launching a public relations campaign against Tesla's technology, which he viewed as a threat to his interests.
The 'War of Currents' culminated in significant events, including the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where Westinghouse demonstrated Tesla's technology, generating three times more energy than the rest of the city. The exhibition also showcased Tesla's improvements to phosphorescent lamps, precursors to modern fluorescent lights.
Under Tesla's guidance, Westinghouse Electric secured a contract to build a two-phase alternating current generation system at Niagara Falls. Tesla's inventions in the United States included work on X-rays, wireless energy transmission, the first remote control, broadcasting, and the development of Tesla coils, which generate high-voltage, high-frequency electricity.
Due to the increasing power of his generators, Tesla moved his laboratory to the outskirts of Colorado Springs in 1899, where he researched the conductive properties of the Earth's atmosphere, envisioning a system for free energy transmission worldwide. During this time, he conceptualised a global transmission system for messages, telephony, and facsimile images, a revolutionary idea that foreshadowed the internet.
After a fruitful period of invention, Tesla returned to New York in 1900, seeking investors for his ideas. In March 1901, he secured $150,000 from magnate John P. Morgan in exchange for 51% of the patents generated and began planning the construction of the Wardenclyffe Tower, a massive transmitter. However, the project lost funding when Guglielmo Marconi successfully transmitted a radio signal from England to Newfoundland later that year, leading investors to abandon Tesla in favour of Marconi.
The exhibition will also cover Tesla's later inventions, as well as the financial and health issues he faced in his final years, culminating in his death in 1943 at the age of 86 in a New York hotel.
Visiting information
The exhibition 'Nikola Tesla: The genius of modern electricity' will be open from 28 October to 8 December 2026 at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, Logroño.
Opening hours for the general public are Monday to Friday from 12:30 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 21:00, and on weekends and holidays from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 21:00. Guided tours for school groups and other organisations are available Monday to Friday from 09:30 to 12:30 and from 15:00 to 17:00, with prior reservation required by calling 900 80 11 37. Public guided tours will take place Monday to Friday at 19:00, and on weekends and holidays at 12:00 and 19:00.
