The National Carriage Museum in Lisbon is the oldest of its kind and one of the most visited cultural sites in the city. The collection contains almost a hundred exhibits from the 16th to 20th centuries: from luxuriously decorated cabins of monarchs to discreet options for civil servants. This is complemented by things related to equestrianism. The museum complex is divided into two buildings: a new large one in the high-tech style and an old arena in the Renaissance style. You can visit both - the first contains the main collection, and the second preserves the design of the 18th century. Works at the establishment scientific library and a restoration workshop. There is a park in front of the entrance.
History of the museum
The history of the modern complex dates back to 1726, when King João V acquired several houses, a palace and an arena on the banks of the Tagus River, in the Belem area. In 1786, the old horse racing stadium was demolished. A new one was built the following year, but the final decoration was completed in 1828. The initiator was the king's son, who was fond of horse riding. In subsequent years, the interior was decorated with paintings, tiles and engravings. 1904-1905 - the arena is converted into a museum. 1940 - an additional hall is built. 1994 - the city government acquires objects for the collection and issues a decree on the creation of a new museum area. From 1999 to 2001, a large-scale reconstruction of the previous building took place. In 2010, construction of a modern structure began, and on May 23, 2015, it opened.
Collection and exhibitions
The exhibits on display date from the 16th century to the present day. The main part of the collection is carriages, which are divided into types such as: carriages, coupes, sedans, convertibles, clarences, milords, etc. About 20 varieties are presented. Some models come with horse figures and additional details to make it easy to understand how they moved. All vehicles are genuine and have been previously driven. There are especially valuable ones that belonged to nobles and royalty: the crew of Queen Mary Francis of Savoy, King Pedro II, Pope Clement XI, Queen Mary I and others. Most are pompously decorated with gold bas-reliefs, paintings and leather interiors. More modest versions appeared in the mid-19th century, for example, the mail coach.
A couple of rooms display a collection of items related to horse transportation and historically valuable items: wheels, hunting pipes, tournament shields for horses, jockey outfits, etc. They are divided into sections: painting gallery, equestrian games, hunting, uniforms, saddles , harness, decals, etc.
The site often becomes the venue for temporary exhibitions. Several rooms are allocated for this purpose. For example, paintings from the “Kings and Queens of Portugal” series, miniatures of famous crews, and drawings by contemporary artists were exhibited. As part of educational activities, events are held to introduce the history of Portugal. There are interactive educational games for children. On the first Sunday of every month there are free excursions.
Royal Riding School
The 1786 building was originally the world's first carriage museum. It was created under the leadership of Queen Amelia of Orleans, opening on May 23, 1905. The interior decoration is royal: the ceiling is decorated with three medallions with allegorical scenes of equestrian art; a balustrade was built around the entire hall; gold bas-reliefs are used in the details. All this has been preserved and restored. Visitors can enter here for a fee. The playpen is located very close - across the road. A number of vehicles, a royal portrait gallery and cavalry accessories are on display from the collection. Concerts and performances are also held here.
The craftsmen worked on the design of the riding school for 40 years - this can be seen from how precisely the details are made.
Operating mode
The cultural site is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00 without breaks. The ticket office closes at 17:30. Closed on Mondays and public holidays: January 1, May 1, Easter Sunday, June 13, December 24 and 25. The riding school is open from 10:00 to 18:00, lunch from 12:30 to 14:00.
Entry fee
There are several rates for visiting. The price depends on which complexes you go to:
- museum for adults - 8 euros, preschoolers - free;
- riding school - 4 euros;
- museum and school - 10 euros;
- museum and National Palace of Ajuda - 12 euros.
How to get to the Carriage Museum in Lisbon
By car, follow the N6 highway to GPS coordinates - 38.696600, -9.198440. There is a paid parking lot across the road. Book a taxi through the Uber or Gett app. It will be convenient to get to the place by public transport to the Belém station:
- by bus No. 28, 714, 727, 729 and 751;
- by tram number 15;
- by boat to the river station;
- train on the Cascais line.
Having been in Lisbon, you can’t help but visit the most popular museum in the capital of Portugal - " National Carriage Museum". The building in which it is located is organically connected with the history of this transport that has sunk into oblivion. Back in 1787, Prince Juan, later King Juan VI, began the construction of the Royal riding arena. The building itself was built according to the design of the architect Giacomo Azolini in the neoclassical style, but subsequent decoration of the exterior and interior continued for more than 40 years.
The arena is a ceremonial hall 17 m wide and 50 m long. In its upper part there are stands connected by narrow galleries, and at both ends of the building there are balconies for judges and the royal family, from where they watched the competitions. Magnificent paintings by Portuguese artists depicting allegorical scenes of all aspects of horsemanship decorate the upper part of the hall, but the most grandiose spectacle is the ceiling, covered with frescoes by the great Portuguese masters Joaquim José Lopes, Francisco de Setúbal, José de Oliveira and Nicola Deleriva.
In 1905 the building was converted into carriage museum, and after the overthrow of the monarchy in 1910, the collection expanded so much due to the crews of the patriarchate and some noble families that the museum space had to be increased, which was done in 1944 by the architect Raul Lino. Now the collection of the museum in Lisbon is considered one of the best in the world. In addition to carriages, there are also convertibles, canopies, sedan chairs, palanquins, hearses, phaetons and children's carts harnessed to ponies.
The oldest and most valuable exhibit in the collection is the carriage of King Philip II of Spain, in which he came to Portugal in 1619. The exhibition then unfolds in chronological retrospective. All carriages are distinguished by magnificent finishing in the style of their eras. Closer to our time, carriages are becoming heavier and more refined, they are decorated with velvet, gilding and mahogany, they are decorated with statues and candelabra. Such carriages were often accompanied by special lighting carriages, where footmen held lamps with burning olive oil. Such carriages were called lampions.
The latest models of carriages weighed more than a ton. Three huge carriages, made for the Portuguese ambassador to Portugal, are decorated with gold and plush and decorated with human-sized statues. Such a carriage weighs 5 tons, and the richness of its sculptural compositions can be viewed for quite a long time.
The upper part of the hall displays pony carts, baby carriages and doll carts, as well as various intricate accessories for horseback riding - spurs, saddles, harnesses and uniforms. The walls of the halls are decorated with magnificent tapestries depicting members of the royal family.
Everyone remembers children's fairy tales, where princes and princesses ride carriages, and an excursion to the National Carriage Museum is a journey into a fairy tale, where they appear in the real world, and it’s even a little pity that we will never see such beauty again on the streets of our cities and We will never ride on such carriages.
National Carriage Museum in Lisbon (Lisbon, Portugal) - exhibitions, opening hours, address, phone numbers, official website.
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The National Carriage Museum in the capital of Portugal is considered the best in the world. Its main collection includes so many rare and interesting carriages that this seemingly insignificant museum has in fact been one of the most visited in Lisbon for many years.
And indeed, the place is very interesting. Not too formal, not at all academic, fun, bright, suitable for both children and adults and certainly not boring. And in order to come with daughters of 6-7 years old, the age when children love the fairy tale about Cinderella, you couldn’t find a better place.
And the museum was opened in 1905 by one of the Portuguese queens, Queen Amelia, to store a set of carriages that belonged to the royal family. Over the long royal history, quite a lot of them have accumulated, so the collection turned out to be large and very impressive.
The museum is located in a wonderful old building - Picadeiro, that is, an equestrian arena. It is very beautifully decorated: the walls and ceiling are covered with paintings, some of the walls are covered with famous Portuguese tiles - azulejos.
Exposition
The main (but not the only) part of the museum is dedicated to the crews. The oldest dates from the late 16th - early 17th centuries, the newest - from the beginning of the 20th. There are magnificent carriages from the Baroque era, all in golden curls, and there are ceremonial carriages suitable for ladies in crinolines. Then fashion changed, and heavy gilded carriages were replaced by light carriages with leather tops - they are also in the collection. There are charabancs, landaulets, convertibles, single strollers and much more.
Most of the carriages belonged to the Portuguese royal family, but there are exceptions. There are embassy carriages, there are carriages that once belonged to the Pope - the head catholic church. The collection also includes several sedan chairs, vintage bicycles and something else.
The second part of the collection is accessories related to transport: a collection of horse harnesses of all kinds, antique parts for antique bicycles, standards for royal rides and much more. There is also a set of costumes - mainly uniforms: for grooms, attendants, postilions, etc.
◎ In 2015, the National Carriage Museum was divided into two parts: the old building - the Royal Stables (Picadeiro Real), and the new one, where the bulk of the exhibits were subsequently moved. Work was also carried out on the restoration of carriages, including those that had not previously been exhibited. In the new modern museum building, as conceived by the architects, all the attention of visitors is focused on the carriages and the magnificent interiors of the old museum will not distract from the exhibits. Access to the old royal stables building remains available with a separate ticket.
◎ The Carriage Museum was founded by Queen Amelia in 1905. Located in the building of the former riding school at the royal palace, now the residence of the President of Portugal.
◎ The museum contains carriages from almost all of Europe (Portugal, France, Austria, Italy, Spain) and tells in detail about the process of their creation.
Opening hours: Tue-Sun, 10:00 - 18:00, last entry at 17:30; closed: Mondays, January 1, May 1, Easter Sunday, Christmas Day (December 25)
Price: regular ticket to the museum - 8 €; old building - 4€; combined ticket (museum + old building) - 10 €; 50% discount - 65+ years old, teenagers 15-18 years old when visiting with parents.
Address: Avenida da Condia 136, 1300-300 Lisboa
Old Museum Building (Royal Mews): Praça Afonso de Albuquerque, 1300-004 Lisboa
How to get there: buses 28, 714, 727, 729; tram 15; train to Belém station; route on the map
Website: museudoscoches.pt
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