New Coach Museum

©Museu Nacional dos Coches_Facade 

Discover a new perspective on ceremonial and travelling carriages from the 17th century to the 19th century at the new National Coach Museum recently opened as part of the celebrations of the 110 years of this institution.

Situated near the Tagus river, to the west of Lisboa, the National Coach Museum occupies the site where the old Army workshops were once located. The new venue features a unique collection which includes mostly carriages from the Portuguese Royal House, to which were then added others from church property and private collections. A unique collection that allows the visitor to understand the technical and artistic evolution of this animal-drawn form of transport, used by the European courts until the appearance of the motor car.

©Museu Nacional dos Coches _interior

The Royal Riding School (Picadeiro Real), a building that was once part of the Belém Royal Palace, currently the official residence of the President of the Republic, can still be visited as a core exhibition of the Museum.

There are three ticket types: one for visits to both museums (the old and the new museum) costing 8 euros; and two others for each of the museums - the original museum at the "Picadeiro Real" (4 euros), with fewer exhibits, and the new museum, which will house a total of 78 carriages (6 euros). On the first Sunday of each month admission is free. Visitors can read captions in Portuguese, French, English, Spanish and, later, in Mandarin. 

More information at:
- http://museudoscoches.pt/pt/
- https://www.facebook.com/www.museudoscoches.pt

Source: Lisboa Inside 

Coach Museum launches new digital guide

Transforming visits to the National Coach Museum into an interactive experience is the aim of the new free application for iPhone, developed by Exciting Space.

Throughout the exhibition route, visitors can visually discover fantastic stories about the coaches, using multimedia, graphics and animation content. The free download can be done via the appstore or at the entrance of the museum, a WIFI area.

Housed in the former Royal Stables (Picadeiro Real), the National Coach Museum displays an exceptional collection of royal carriages, from the 17th century to the late 19th century.

Considered the most remarkable collections of its kind in the world, it allows the visitor to understand not only the technical evolution of animal-drawn transport, but also how changing tastes through the centuries were expressed in the decorative ornamentation of the carriages.

The main gallery in the style of Luis XVI, is occupied by two rows of carriages built for Portuguese royalty, of enormous wealth. Highlights include the three huge Baroque carriages made in Rome for the Portuguese ambassador to the Vatican, Dom Rodrigo Almeida e Menezes sent to Pope Clement XI at the behest of King João V.

The National Coach Museum is one of the most popular museums in Portugal and the most visited in Lisboa

You can download the app from here

Praça Afonso de Albuquerque
1300-044 Lisboa
Portugal
Tel: (351) 213 610 850Fax: (351) 213 632 503
E-mail: mncoches@imc-ip.pt
Website: www.museudoscoches.pt

Source: Webletter Lisboa Inside