The Museum of Lisbon has opened a new long-term exhibition on the ground floor of the Palácio Pimenta (Campo Grande), following renovation works on the building and improvements to the museography.
Through more than 500 pieces, more than 200 of which are new when compared to the previous exhibition, this new exhibition takes you on a journey to the city’s core. It reveals the evolution of Lisbon since the Palaeolithic, over a hundred thousand years ago, when the first inhabitants arrived in the area, up until the splendour that the city enjoyed during the reign of King John V (r. 1706 – 1750).
The exhibition is organised chronologically and reveals the different stages of the urban development and occupation of the area, as well as aspects of daily life and key architectural, artistic and archaeological moments.
The Model of Lisbon before the 1755 Earthquake can now be enjoyed by the public once again. Consisting of ten thousand miniature buildings that together measure over ten metres in length and four metres in width, it is one of the most emblematic exhibits in the Lisbon Museum collection.
This new exhibition, which was first conceived by the former director of the Museum, António Miranda, in 2014, contains several layers of information through its exhibits, videos and associated texts and drawings (in showcases, on walls and inside drawers). These include specific content aimed at children.
To complement the exhibition, there is an area especially dedicated to emphasising the importance of ceramics in the construction and identity of Lisbon. These are very present in archaeological excavations and feature prominently in the tile coverings of private and public buildings.
