Museu de Portimao

Museu de Portimao Overview

The recently inaugurated Museu de Portimão is well worth adding to your list of things to do in the Algarve. The museum ‘s permanent exhibition traces the interaction of man with his environment in the Portimao area over a period of five millennia, with particular emphasis on the fishing industry, particularly the sardine canning industry so vital to the Algarve’s economy in decades past.

The museum, located along the river front, is actually housed in what was one of the main sardine canning factories in Portimão and contains many of the original machines used in the industry. The grandparents and great grandparents of many of Portimão’s current residents earned their living here. Entire families worked at the factory – men, women and children each with their designated tasks. When visiting the museum it is best to start by watching the film which explains each step of the process from wriggling sardines to neatly boxed tins ready for export. The film itself is fascinating. It was produced in 1946 and shown in cinema theaters in an attempt to boost demand, which had fallen after World War II. The film shows the societal values prevalent at the time in a Portugal that was under a right-wing dictatorship. Although women were a vital part of the workforce, men and women did not work side by side. Even the refectories where they had their meals were separated – men in one, women and children in another.

The sardines were brought ashore at Portimão (if you are a long term visitor of the Algarve you may remember this) and brought in baskets into the sinister sounding beheading room. There they were washed, cleaned, salted and yes, beheaded and continued their journey to their final destination – the beautifully decorated tin cans which were also produced in the factory. The sardines were actually placed by hand in each tin. After a quality control check the tins were sealed and boxed and ready to leave the factory. The Beheading Room has been restored with life size figures illustrating the various production steps.

The museum also has a very interesting archaeological exhibition showing the evolution of human occupation in the area surrounding Portimão and Alvor from Neolithic times, through to the Roman and Islamic occupations. And running underneath the museum is an old waterway where rainwater was collected in giant cisterns and here you can see animated images of the underwater wildlife of the area.

Opening hours:

From 15 September till 14 July:

Tuesday: from 14:30 till 18:00.

Wednesday till Sunday: 10:00 till 18:00.

From 15 July till 14 September:

Tuesday: 19:30 till 23:00

Wednesday till Sunday: 15:00 – 23:00

Prices: 3 Euro (permanent exhibition).

Free entry on Sundays: 10.00h till 14.00h (15.00h till 19.00h Summer time).