When I heard about the Coach Museum in Lisbon I was quite intrigued as I had no idea such a magical place existed!
Can you believe a parking lot full of coaches, stagecoaches and carriages from centuries past?
Just like the ones described in books and shown in movies, but these are actual used coaches! The ones noblemen and kings rode in!
Where is the National Coach Museum?
Located in Lisbon, Portugal, this amazing museum is housed in the old riding area and horse riding school of the Belém Palace which acts now as the official residence of the president.
UPDATE: The Coach Museum was moved after this article was published. You can read all about its new location here http://museudoscoches.pt/en/homepage/ Thanks to Inês Freitas for the information!
Coach Museum facade. Photo: Wikipedia – Scalleja.
Please copy and paste the following link to go to the original image:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CoachMuseum-CCBYSA.jpg
Looking out at Praça Afonso de Albuquerque, the Belém Palace used to be the royal palace when Portugal was ruled by a monarchy.
Praça Afonso de Albuquerque. Photo: www.skyscrapercity.com
Let’s remember that back in the 15th century Portugal was a big conquering powerhouse that competed with Spain and England for the control of the world!
The National Coach Museum received approximately 200.000 visitors a year, which makes it one of Portugal’s most visited museums.
The building
The horse riding area was built in 1787 and designed by the Italian architect Giacomo Azzolini.
The main hall (in the style of Louis XVI) houses the majority of the collection. It is a vas space that showcases a two-story hall with tribunes where the royals could watch the equestrian games.
Today this second floor houses saddles, costumes and other riding accessories.
There is a smaller side hall that completes the collection. The ceiling and walls are magnificently decorated by paintings of equestrian themes and decorative elements.
It is not a large museum, you can probably cover it all in under 1 hour.
The museum
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.
Queen Amelia. Photo: Lumastan, Wikipedia.
Please copy and paste the following link to go to the original image:
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The first time the carriages were displayed was at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900.
Though the original collection comprised 29 carriages, more were added with time from the Crown and some other aristocratic houses.
The museum officially opened on May 23rd, 1905. Some sources state that a new building for the museum will be inaugurated in 2013.
The collection
It never occurred to me that there were several kinds of carriages and you can learn about this in the permanent exhibition.
There are your regular horse-pulled coaches, but there are also berlins: a four-wheeled carriage for two seated people.
Berlin of Queen Maria I. 18th century.
Photo: Museum website.
Cabriolets: a carriage with a hood.
Chaises: another two-people carriage but with an open top and four wheels and more!
Photo: www.firstpicture.net
There’s also a section that showcases coachmen costumes and some riding accessories.
The coaches were built in Italy, Portugal, France, Spain, Austria and England and cover history from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
Photo: www.firstpicture.net
The main hall houses coaches made for the Portuguese royalty, starting with the journey of Philip III of Spain and (II) Portugal.
The exhibit ends with three big coaches in the baroque style that were made in Rome for the Portuguese ambassador at the Vatican D. Rodrigo Almeida e Menezes, under the rule of king João V of Portugal.
The last coach that was used was the Carruagem da Coroa, during the visit of Elizabeth II to Portugal in 1957.
Among the most important carriages there are some for Pope Clement XI and for Queen Maria Francisca of Savoy.
National Coach Museum Virtual Tours
If you can’t make it to Lisbon you can still enjoy this fantastic museum online with its virtual tours:
- Main Hall I and Main Hall II.
- Inside of Embassy Coach.
- Coaches of D. Maria Francisca Benedita and D. Carlota Joaquina.
- Side Hall I and Side Hall II.
- Gallery I and Gallery II.
Lisbon is a gorgeous and charming city and the Coach Museum is a must see!
Can you picture yourself riding one of these luxurious carriages in your big puffy 17th century dress?
The conversations that big-hairdo passengers had?
And the awful back pain from all the bumps on the road? Well, why not include Lisbon in your next cultural travel?
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Practicalities:
- Official website of the National Coach Museum.
- Download the brochure.
Hours: Tue-Sun 10am – 6pm. - Closed on Mondays and some holidays. Free entrance on Sundays and bank holidays until 2pm.
- Entrance fee is 5€.
I am interested in the Francisco coach. Can you tell me any history about the family who owned it?
Wow, this actually looks like a pretty awesome museum
! I loved Lisbon, I feel like it’s one of the last European capital cities that still feel not overrun with tourists, one where you can see how real locals live on a daily basis.
Yes, it’s pretty awesome and it’s got that old world feel to it that is so charming. People often forget Portugal used to be one of the top power houses in centuries past!