Sala de Gessos
©Joana FreitasSala de Gessos
©Joana Freitas

The four weirdest museums in Lisbon

If you think you know all the city's must-see attractions, explore these four unusual museums in Lisbon.

Advertising

This selection would take place in a supposed Wing of the Unusual in a hypothetical Museum of Museums. If you think you know all the city’s must-see attractions, explore these four unusual museums in Lisbon.

Museums are strange

  • Museums
  • São Vicente 
Casa dos Gessos (House of Plasters)
Casa dos Gessos (House of Plasters)

It's a museum full of statues, but at the same time without the actual statues. D. José I from Terreiro do Paço and Dr. Sousa Martins from Campo dos Mártires da Pátria are here, but in their larval version. That is, the cast of plaster that that would serve as the base for their definitive bronze version. There are 12 pieces that are part of the city’s history that can be seen in a few square meters. Perfect for tourists in a hurry.

  • Museums
  • Avenida da Liberdade/Príncipe Real

This museum has hundreds of wax masks where it is possible to witness the dermatological effects of a number of diseases, especially syphilis. The collection, located in the Noble Hall of the Capuchos Hospital, is visited by medical students that want to dive into the collections didactic value.

Advertising
  • Museums
  • Lisbon
Veva de Lima House
Veva de Lima House

This house is the central figure of Os Maias, a Portuguese novel written by Eça de Queirós, and one of the most fascinating houses in the city. Genoveva da Lima Mayer, writer and socialite known for her celebrations, get-togethers and literary soiree's that were the talk of the town in 20s and 30's Lisbon, once lived there. The decor can be described as exuberant, flashy and dramatic, but none of these adjectives do it justice. It is a beautiful and mysterious time capsule that presents us to one of the most eccentric Lisbonites ever - Veva de Lima even had a baby leopard for a pet.

  • Museums
  • Greater Lisbon

It is in a nice farmhouse in Loures that also serves as a school for the Criminal Investigation Police. It is only visitable by appointment and displays an impressive collection of items related to banditry: guns, fake money, forged works of art and portraits of criminals. There you can find, for example, the knife that was used in the assassination attempt of Pope John Paul II in 1982.

Recommended
    You may also like
    You may also like
    Advertising