Money Museum, Lisbon, Portugal

The Money Museum is housed in the former church of S. Julião. Destroyed by the Great Earthquake of 1755, the church was reconstructed between 1810 and 1854 in its current location. It was bought by the Bank of Portugal in the 1930s after being deconsecrated and, due to divergences with the municipality, it was used as a warehouse and a parking lot for many decades.
In 2006 the Bank of Portugal was one of the institutions participating in the recovery of the Pombaline downtown and the former church was finally restored. During the works, a segment of the 14th-century city walls was discovered. This second layer of walls was built to address the expansion of the city and the growing threat posted by Castille. It defended against attacks coming from the sea. The walls are now part of the exhibition.
The museum's collection started in 1974/75 with acquisitions made in auctions or through donations of private collectors. Part of it used to be exhibited in a small room of the Bank's headquarters. Another major contributor to the museum's collection is the Casa da Moeda, the Portuguese Mint and Official Printing Office. The collection tells the story of money from the pre-monetary currency to the use of money in the 21st century, both through the objects exposed and a series of interactive experiences.
In 2017, just one year after its inauguration, the Museum was one of the finalists of the European Forum Prize for "European Museum of the Year" and was recognised the "Best Museum of the Year 2017" by the Portuguese Museology Association.

Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Entrance free.

 Back to Lisbon













Local: Rua de S. Julião 150, 1100-150 Lisboa, Portugal

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