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Lisbon’s Military Museum

Museu Militar de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

World War I Exhibit at Military Museum in Lisbon Portugal

World War I exhibit.

Portugal // Lisbon Portugal· museums & galleries Location: [post_gps_latitude], [post_gps_longitude]

The Military Museum is on the waterfront in Lisbon’s Alfama neighborhood, just down the hill from Santa Engracia (the National Pantheon). It’s on the site of a 16th-century cannon foundry and munitions depot. It’s in a grand old building that was completed in its current configuration in 1905, and it’s an old museum that doesn’t seem to have been disturbed with a curator’s tinkering for decades.

After buying your tickets from the country just inside the door, you’ll be directed to a room directly next to the counter. Its floor is covered with vintage cannon barrels of varying sizes. But, as with so much of this museum, it’s the room’s decorations that steal attention. It's known as the Vasco da Gama Room, and every inch of its walls and its ceiling are covered with maps and paintings illustrating the Age of Discovery and the opening of trade routes between Portugal and India.

Next, you’ll be directed up the grand staircase and into rooms showcasing swords, early firearms, and armor. The Salas da Grande Guerra (Rooms of The Great War, or World War I) are a highlight of the museum—and they also seem to be some of the most recently redone. Portugal had initially tried to stay neutral in the war, but with its colonies in Africa attracting German attention, it was only a matter of time before Lisbon was also drawn in. The Great War rooms feature artillery pieces, sculptures, guns and rifles, and various other artifacts from the war.

As you head back to the other side of the building, past the mounted knights at the top of the staircase, you enter a series of incredibly ornate rooms, each one different from the others. Each is named, often after Portuguese monarchs. Others focus on overseas campaigns, armor, helmets, weapon evolution, and the Peninsula War (1807–1814) of the Napoleonic era.

While they have what seem like token efforts to display the museum’s holdings—sometimes just a single glass showcase—arguably the most impressive aspect of these rooms is their walls and ceilings, often lined with gold leaf, colored marble, and richly detailed paintings.

After passing through these rooms you’ll come across some plainer rooms with more glass cabinets, through another ornately decorated bridging room, and then out into the courtyard.

Dozens of cannons line the courtyard and give the space its name: the Courtyard of Cannons. But it’s also worth taking a look at the blue and white tiled murals around the walls. They depict the history of Portugal from its reconquest in the 12th century up to World War I.

In the bowels of the building is a large temporary exhibit space filled with yet more cannons and artillery pieces. At one end is a massive wooden and iron transportation wagon—it hauled the massive Arc de Rua Augusta into place on Praça do Comércio (Commerce Square).

Photos of the Museu Militar

Military Museum in Lisbon Portugal

Military Museum in Lisbon Portugal

Military Museum in Lisbon Portugal

Military Museum in Lisbon Portugal

Cannons at the Military Museum in Lisbon Portugal

Courtyard at the Military Museum in Lisbon Portugal

Military Museum in Lisbon Portugal

Sculpture at the Military Museum in Lisbon Portugal

Cannons in the Vasco da Gama Room at the Military Museum in Lisbon Portugal

Decorated Ceiling at Military Museum in Lisbon Portugal

Salas da Grande Guerra World War I Exhibit at Military Museum in Lisbon Portugal

Military Museum in Lisbon Portugal

Military Museum Building in Lisbon Portugal

I have more photos of the Museu Militar here.

What to Know Before You Go

  • The Military Museum operates under the auspices of the Portuguese Army.
  • There is a modest admission fee. You buy tickets just inside the front entrance, at the counter to the left.
  • You can find the official website of the Museu Military de Lisboa here.

More to Explore:

  • Vietnam Military History Museum Tank Exhibit
    Hanoi's Vietnam Military History Museum
  • Models of Fishing Boats at the Museu de Marinha (Maritime Museum) in Lisbon Portugal
    Portugal's Maritime History Museum
  • Great Court of the British Museum in London
    The British Museum
  • Photo of Shells on display at War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
    Vietnam's War Remnants Museum
  • Vietnam Museum of Revolution Statue and Artillery
    Museum of the Vietnamese Revolution
  • Graffiti in Lisbon Portugal
    Lisbon's Graffiti
  • Nuclear missiles
    National Museum of the United States Air Force
  • Musee des Instruments de Musique Keyboard
    The Musical Instrument Museum of Brussels
  • National Palaces Painting Museum at Dolmabahce Palace, Istanbul
    National Palaces Painting Museum


Travel Advice for Portugal

You can find the latest U.S. Department of State travel advisories and information for Portugal (such as entry visa requirements and vaccination requirements) here.

The British and Australian governments offer their own country-specific travel information. You can find the British Government's travel advice for Portugal here and the Australian Government's here.

Health & Vaccinations

The CDC makes country-specific recommendations for vaccinations and health for travelers. You can find their latest information for Portugal here.

David Coleman Photography

I take photos. I travel. I write. I do it for a living. Seven continents. Dozens of countries. Up mountains. Under water. And a bunch of places in between. You can find my main site at havecamerawilltravel.com. Or check out what’s in my go-to travel photography kit. Or get in touch here.


Location:
Country: Portugal
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      # Lisbon Portugal
      # museums & galleries



About David Coleman

I take photos. I travel. I write. I do it for a living.

I’m based in Washington, DC.

You can find my photography gear reviews and tips at havecamerawilltravel.com/photographer.

David Coleman Photography

I take photos. I travel. I write. I do it for a living. Seven continents. Dozens of countries. Up mountains. Under water. And a bunch of places in between. You can find my main site at havecamerawilltravel.com. Or check out what’s in my go-to travel photography kit. Or get in touch here.

Licensing & Prints

Looking for travel stock photos or prints? I might be able to help. You can search my collection here:

If you already have a buyer account with Alamy and would prefer to use that, you can search my images directly here.

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