Category: Museums

National Coach Museum

3/2/2023

Step back in time and picture yourself riding in a luxurious carriage with beautiful wheels and ornate decor at the National Coach Museum in Belém in the district of Lisbon.

Located in Belém, near the Tagus River and the National Palace (the official residence of the President of the Republic), the National Coach Museum is undoubtedly one of the best places to visit in this tourist area of Lisbon!

When Queen Amélie of Orléans and Bragança (wife of Carlos I of Portugal) realized the great cultural value of the Royal House’s ceremonial coaches collection, she decided it had to be shared with the public.

The museum officially opened on May 23, 1905 in the hall of the former Royal Riding Arena. and then moved to it's current location in 2015.

What’s a Coach?

A Coach is a ceremonial and travel vehicle that emerged at the beginning of the 15th century, in Kocs (Hungary). In fact, the term “coach” (used in English) derives from the name of this village, which inspired linguistic adaptations in other European countries: “coche” (in Portuguese, French, and Spanish), “cocchio” (in Italian), “Kutsche” (in German), etc.

Despite being called National Coach Museum, the collection of this museum consists of almost 80 vehicles of various types that belonged both to the Portuguese Royal House and to figures of the clergy and aristocracy. In addition to coaches, you’ll find berlins (a four-wheeled carriage for two seated people), chaises, litters, sedan chairs, carriages, landaus, and much more!

The National Coach Museum houses the Coach of King João V. King of Portugal from December 9, 1706 until his death in 1750, he was known as the Magnanimous and the Portuguese Sun King. His reign saw the rise of Portugal to new levels of prestige and prosperity among European courts.

The Coach of the Coronation of Lisbon is another of the five embassy coaches that participated in the procession for Pope Clement XI in Rome.

Ornate painting and decor were magnificent to look at.

I really loved the intricate wheels. They are works of art!

This is the oldest horse-drawn prisoner transport vehicle known in Portugal. Access to the interior is through a single rear door which opens only from the outside. There are 6 individual cells.

This Mail Coach delivered mail between Lisbon and Porto in the late 1850s.

There's one car in the National Coach Museum - the first automobile that circulated in Portugal in 1895! It’s was made in France from the Parisian brand Panhard et Levassor. I love antique cars so it was super cool to see!

There was an interesting collection of chess pieces and Fado guitars in a separate area.

Getting There

Located at Av. da Índia 136, 1300-300 Lisboa, Portugal.

It's easy to get to this museum by public transportation. You can take the bus (lines 28, 714, 727, 729, 751), tram (number 15E) and train (Cascais Line)!

For more information, visit their official website.

More Belém Attractions

Like museums? Check out my other Lisbon museum posts.

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House Museum of Medeiros e Almeida

2/27/2023

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The former residence of António Medeiros e Almeida houses a priceless fine art collection from 17th to 20th-century. An outstanding but little-known museum in Lisbon. A definite must-see whether visiting or local.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit the House Museum of Medeiros e Almeida. I finished my annual ophthalmology exam on Avenida da Liberdade early afternoon. I decided I had some energy so I thought I would Google museums near me and this one popped up and it was just a block and a half away.

António Medeiros e Almeida (1895-1986) was a business man as well as a collector. He reached the height of his professional career after the war, which allowed him to get in the most famous European auction houses.

Medeiros e Almeida devoted himself with passion, to gather an enviable (and valuable) art collection.

In 1972, he created the Medeiros e Almeida Foundation, turning his home of 30 years in a House Museum, allowing the public the enjoyment of his collection.

I enjoyed this museum. Its 25 rooms are well laid out ranges from porcelain to furniture, to silverware, paintings by artists such as George Romney and Thomas Gainsborough, and sculptures.

Walls are lined with French painted paneling. Mid-19th century furniture and the golden shell baby carriage of the son of the Duke of Wellington vie for you attention.

He has an impressive watches and clocks collection, from rock crystal extravaganzas to pocket watches. In fact, not only are they spread out throughout the different rooms, there is also an entire room devoted to watches and clocks.

Temporary Exhibition

There was also a temporary exhibition - "Personal and Precious: Chinese Mugs from the Sapientia Collection" (from November 28, 2022 - March 25, 2023). It was fascinating!

Mugs/Tankards are handled cups for drinking. They are used by virtually every human on a daily basis. The first coffee mugs were used during the Neolithic period (3900 BC – 1700 BC). These cups were crafted from wood or animal skulls

Between the 17th and 19th centuries, porcelain mugs were made in China for European clients.

Enjoy this slideshow of some of the mugs on display.

Important Information:
Located at Rua Rosa Araújo, 41, 1250-194 Lisbon, Portugal
Admission was €8 with the temporary exhibition.
For more information, check their official website.

Check out my other Lisbon museum posts!

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Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

2/16/2023

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The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum is a great place to spend a few hours. In addition to the museum, you can also stroll in the gardens and have something to eat at the cafe.

The Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, Portugal contains the private collection of Calouste Gulbenkian. This reminds me of the John Ringling and Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida. When I lived in Nokomis (just 20 minutes depending on the traffic, I used to visit the Ringling Museum often and have strolled in Mabel Ringling's Rose Garden.

Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian was a key figure in the oil industry, art collector, and philanthropist of Armenian descent, who was born on March 23rd, 1869.

As you can imagine he became fabulously wealthy. With his wealth and love of art, he created one of the greatest private collections in the world and in the end bequeathed it to the city of Lisbon where is settled during World War II.

The Gulbenkian Museum is now looked upon as one of the best museums in Portugal. There are two buildings. One houses Gulbenkian's private collection which has works ranging from Antiquity to the early 20th century, including paintings by the great masters such as Rubens, Rembrandt, and Degas.

The other building houses the modern collection which contains more than ten thousand works and is considered to be the most complete collection of modern and contemporary Portuguese art. It is also home to the Gulbenkian Orchestra which I was honored to see their performance last month (January 2023) of Return of the Jedi during the 40th anniversary of the movie.

Egypt Collection - Having been to Egypt on five different occasions, I was impressed that he had so many items pertaining to Egypt. In 1896 he and his family had to flee the Ottoman Empire during the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the anti-Armenian sentiment in the country and landed in Alexandria, Egypt where they temporarily settled (which explains is large Egyptian collection).

This slideshow shows a few of my favorites.

Ceramics – Being Armenian, Calouste Gulbenkian loved Islamic ceramics and collected them. But being who he was he collected anything he liked so included in his collection were Chinese, Rococo and Greek.

Paintings – his painting collection spans Renaissance to Modern. If you are a fan of art at all you will certainly recognize the great masters in his collection.

Furniture Collection - sets of French furniture and tapestries of the eighteenth century.

Practical Information:

Located at Avenida Berna 45, Lisbon

Open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Closed on Tuesdays)

Tickets are10€ for both buildings (please check their website for current pricing). You get a 20% discount with the Lisboa Card. Free on Sundays after 2 p.m.

Find out more at their official website.

Check our my other Lisbon museum posts!

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A Visit to the Oriente Museum on Chinese New Year

1/22/2023

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It's Chinese New Year - the Year of the Water Rabbit! So I thought what better way to celebrate but a visit to the Oriente Museum.

For Chinese New Year, it had a fun rabbit theme.

As well as the traditional Chinese New Year decorations - red envelopes and lanterns.

The museum sits on the water's edge in the Alcântara area, next to the Ponte 25 de Abril. It's housed in an old port warehouse from the 40s.

It was an easy train ride from Cais do Sodre and then a short walk. Entry fee was €6.

This museum is dedicated to Portugal's presence in Asia. Portuguese presence in Asia is not something that is often brought up in conversation but Portugal has always had a strong connection to the Orient, including the era when Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route to India. Macau is a Chinese territory that was once under rule of Portugal; as a result there are copious amounts of Portuguese influenced artworks, sculptures and trade items for display. The trade agreements between the two lands allow for exhibits from Goa, China, Japan, and East Timor.

The museum is arranged chronologically and by areas. On floors 1 and 2 you’ll find two permanent exhibitions. The first one is about the Portuguese presence in Asia and consists of over a thousand artistic and documentary objects. The second is the Kwok On collection – a donation by the Musée Kwok On Association in Paris, which has over 13,000 pieces.

In addition to the exhibits, the museum also features an auditorium, a shop, a cafeteria and a rooftop restaurant, from where the view of the Tejo River is spectacular.

This slideshow shows some of the photos I took of their collection. I hope you enjoy until you can see the exhibits personally.

If you want to find out more about the museum you can visit their official website.

Check out my other Lisbon museum posts!

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National Tile Museum (Museu Nacional do Azulejo)

7/18/2022

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The National Museum of Azulejo in Lisbon is housed in Convento de Madre Deus, a 16th century convent founded by one of Portugal’s most beloved queens, Queen Leonor. Unbeknownst to many, it is both a museum and a national monument, which introduces the idea that there is more here than meets the eye.

It's located well off the beaten path at Rua Madre Deus 4, 1900-312 in Lisbon. If you are not traveling with your own car, you will need to either take an Uber, a bus, or the metro to Santa Apolonia and then walk the remainder of the way.

My friends and I visited the museum this past Wednesday when the temperatures soared to 102°F (39°C).

The museum is not air conditioned (although they do have fans set up which was a delight to stand in front of) so I'm very happy that we got there just after the museum opened at 10 a.m. At that time, there were also less crowds. When we were leaving, there was a line out the door to buy tickets.

History of Azulejo

Azulejo (pronounced ah-zoo-lay-joo) comes from the Arabic word al-zulaich, which means polished stone. It shares the same root word as zellige, the ceramic tiles commonly found in Moroccan and Moorish architecture. These tiles are ceramic works of art produced using a variety of techniques and reflecting highly skilled craftsmanship.

The famous blue and white patterns were inspired by the Dutch, who began to overtake the Portuguese in the late 17th century. The blue and white designs also drew favorable comparisons to Chinese porcelain. Enjoy a few of them in this slideshow.

The Nossa Senhora da Vida (Our Lady of Life) panel (below) features an empty space where a window used to be. The light from the window would interact with the image of the Virgin Mary on the panel.

Igreja Madre de Deus (Church and Chapterhouse of the Church of the Mother of God)

There are surprises around every corner, though none quite as spectacular (in my opinion) as the one waiting for us when we entered the church. The church was built in the 16th century, but received an upgrade in the 18th century at the height of the Portuguese Baroque period.

The museum also has some impressive and eclectic art.

The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm, with the final entry at 5:30 pm. Tickets are €5, (free entry to the museum with the Lisboa Card, which covers free travel on Lisbon’s buses, subways and trams, while also offering free or discounted entry into many popular attractions).

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National Coach Museum

House Museum of Medeiros e Almeida

Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

A Visit to the Oriente Museum on Chinese New Year

National Tile Museum (Museu Nacional do Azulejo)

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