Installed in the old Cadeia Velha de Pombal, a building ordered to be built by the Marquis of Pombal in 1776, the Marquis of Pombal Museum had its origin in a work of research, collection and selection of a pombalense, the antique dealer Manuel Gameiro. It is the result of a lot of dedication and persistence of this collector who managed, over 25 years, to catalyze the enthusiasm of others around him, gathering a valuable set of pieces of historical and artistic value, that belonged to Marquis de Pombal or that with him relate.

It is currently a monographic museum dedicated to the history of an individual, a people and an era. An institution that wants to assert itself either because of its history, or betting on innovation. The primitive collection has been complemented over the years and nowadays the Museum’s collection emphasizes its true identity, being constituted by several nuclei linked to Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo and to the national and local history of the century. XVIII.

The Museum aims to disseminate an era, while simultaneously enhancing historical, cultural and socioeconomic values, in a permanent commitment between the past and the present.

Betting on the qualification and certification of the Marquês de Pombal Museum means investing in the future, endowing the city with cultural equipment that preserves, values ​​and promotes regional and national heritage and identity.

The date of the founding of the Museum dates back to 1978 and the idea is due to the benefactor who donated the original collection to the Municipality, under the condition of creating a Municipal Museum, which would welcome, preserve and enhance the entire collection, which should be designated “Marquês de Pombal Museum Library” and be installed on the ground floor of the Paços do Concelho building, Former Convent of Santo António.

Given the desire expressed by the donor, the Museum opened to the public, in the building of the Paços do Concelho, on May 8, 1982, within the scope of the commemorations of the Bicentenary of the death of statesman Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Count of Oeiras ( 1759) and 1º Marquês de Pombal (1769). It opened with the current name “Museu Marquês de Pombal”, meaning a just tribute to the eminent statesman, unique testimony of 18th century Portuguese culture.

Having stayed at the Old Convent of Santo António, he was transferred to Cadeia Velha, in Praça Marquês de Pombal, in July 2004, after remodeling and adapting the building that made it one of the most interesting cultural centers in the region.

The collection is very varied and covers several areas / collections. Distributed by different nuclei, it is organized by typologies that document the life and work of Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo and various actions, reforms and events of the 18th century.

The Museum displays a notable documentary collection, consisting of a bibliographic nucleus, in which the oldest book dates from 1717. An important nucleus of legislative documents stands out, such as permits, letters of law and sentences and a background of manuscripts, some written by the Marquis of Pombal himself, who let us know about matters of his public and private life.

The collection of this museum also comprises a collection of paintings and prints, which allows us to visualize the history, facilitating its understanding through the illustration of way of life, customs, figures, costumes and the main events of the century. XVIII; an important collection of period furniture, with particular emphasis on works belonging to the Marquis of Pombal and a painting collection, composed of oils on canvas.

The Museum has other collections that take us through different, but complementary, paths from the Pombaline period. This is the case with the collections of medals, ceramics, glass, metals, stone elements, photography and various busts of the Marquis of Pombal.

The museum also includes a collection of pieces related to the death of the Marquis of Pombal and the celebrations that have taken place in his honor.