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Cultures, Museums and Heritage - Museums

U.Porto’s Museums are a must-see for the curious mind. Where to begin?

A visit to U.Porto is not complete without a visit to the University’s vast array of museum spaces and valuable collections, the structuring, promotion and publicising of which we consider a top priority at our institution.

While the University of Porto’s museum spaces are educational in nature, they also serve as ties between the University’s various teaching and research communities, as well as to the city of Porto itself.

This is why we give thousands of people the chance to discover our “treasures” every year, providing them with the opportunity to learn about the history of Medicine, Science or Pharmacy through centuries-old objects.

Aside from the museums, the entire community is invited to breathe in the fresh air of the historic Porto Botanical Garden, to travel through space at the Porto Planetarium, and to explore the University’s many other cultural and scientific exhibition spaces, all well worth a visit.

The University currently has the following museum spaces open to the community:

Natural History and Science Museum of U.Porto (MHNC-UP)

"We tell stories about life."

The Science and Natural History Museum of the University of Porto (MHNC-UP)

aims to promote knowledge dissemination related to the evolution, diversity and convergence between the natural and cultural world. It is therefore devoted to the preservation, valorisation, study and dissemination of a vast heritage associated with the natural, exact and human sciences, established through research and teaching activities undertaken at U.Porto over more than two hundred years.

The MHNC-UP integrates a Central Core, located in the Historic Building of the U.Porto (Rectory), and a second pole, consisting of the Hall of Biodiversity – Ciência Viva Center and Porto’s Botanical Garden. 

The Central Core (currently being restructured) is home to historical collections in the fields of geology, palaeontology, zoology, archaeology and ethnography, botany (including U.Porto's Herbarium – PO), in conjunction with the historical Ferreira da Silva Laboratory, which reopened to the public since 2021.

The Hall of Biodiversity – Ciência Viva Center has been open to the public since July 2017, at Casa Andresen, in the heart of Porto's Botanical Garden.

Historic Rectory Building of the University of Porto (on the side of the Cordoaria Garden)
Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, 81
4050-368 Porto, Portugal

Tel.: (+351) 220 408 000
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: https://mhnc.up.pt/polo-central/

Rua do Campo Alegre, 1191
4150-181 Porto, Portugal
Portugal

Tel.: (+351) 220 408 700
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: https://mhnc.up.pt/galeria-da-biodiversidade/

Rua do Campo Alegre, 1191
4150-181 Porto, Portugal

Tel.: (+351) 220 408 727
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: https://mhnc.up.pt/jardim-botanico-do-porto/

Museum of the Faculty of Fine Arts

FBAUP's Museum is a living testimony to the history and evolution of art education in Portugal and the world. Here you can find a selection of works from some of the best students who attended the Academy of Fine Arts since its foundation in 1836. The collection boasts the work of renowned figures in Portuguese and international art, including Dórdio Gomes, Júlio Resende, and Soares dos Reis, and even includes the only Leonardo Da Vinci work in Portugal!

Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto
Av. Rodrigues de Freitas, 265
4049–021 Porto, Portugal

Tel.: (+351) 225 192 415
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://museu.fba.up.pt/

Prof. Maximiano Lemos Medicine History Museum | Faculty of Medicine

The Museum of the History of Medicine invites its visitors to browse all periods of the history of humanity, through a collection which shows the evolution of the history of this science. In addition to an art gallery, the Museum includes eight rooms named after former professors of the the Faculty of Medicine.

Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto
Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro
4200-319 Porto, Portugal

Tel.: (+351) 225 513 615
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://museumaximianolemos.med.up.pt/

Anatomy Museum of the Faculty of Medicine

The Anatomy Museum of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto proposes a unique "journey" – not for the faint of heart – through the human body, using a collection of thousands of items (wall charts, photographs, radiographs, drawings, watercolours and anatomical parts) which revisit the history of Anatomy over the course of close to 200 years.

Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto
Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro
4200-319 Porto, Portugal

Tel.: (+351) 225 513 616
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://anatomia.med.up.pt/museu

Prof. Nuno Grande Anatomy Museum | ICBAS

This Museum presents a large collection of anatomical models and human and animal specimens kept in transparent containers, which are regularly used in Anatomy classes for the Integrated Master’s Degrees for Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS). In addition to the educational aspect, the Museum is accessible to groups of students who would like to visit, subject to prior booking.

ICBAS - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228
4050-313 Porto, Portugal

Tel.:(+351) 220 428 000
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://sigarra.up.pt/icbas/pt/uni_geral.unidade_view?pv_unidade=140

"Book House"

The "Book House" was inaugurated in 2022, also known as the Culture Studies Centre of the University of Porto (CECUP). It aims to conserve and promote the archives of some of the leading figures of Portuguese culture and literature.

The "House" opens doors to visits, research work or a simple tour. It also organises exhibitions, free courses and guided tours, among other initiatives.

Culture Studies Centre of the University of Porto (CECUP)
Casa/Palacete Burmester
Rua do Campo Alegre, 1055
4150-181 Porto

Tel.: (+351) 226 077 191
E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected]
Website

FEUPmuseum | Faculty of Engineering

FEUPmuseum's activities focus on the preservation, interpretation and dissemination of tangible and intangible representations of the history, memory and identity of U.Porto's Faculty of Engineering.

Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto
Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, s/n
4200-465 Porto, Portugal

Tel.: (+351) 225 081 402
E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected]

Museum of the Faculty of Pharmacy

The Museum of the Faculty of Pharmacy of U.Porto boasts a collection of objects emblematic of the history of Pharmacy and the Pharmaceutical Sciences. One of these objects is the copper alembic, a "pharmaceutical" tool used to produce aromatic extracts.

Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto
R. Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira, 228
4050-313 Porto, Portugal

Tel.: (+351) 220 428 620
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://sigarra.up.pt/ffup

Abel Salazar House Museum

The House-Museum occupies the building where Abel Salazar (1889-1946) spent the last 25 years of his life (1921-1946). It aims to research, conserve, interpret and exhibit the legacy of one of the most fascinating figures in the history of the University of Porto. It also contributes to the study and dissemination of Abel Salazar's life and work by offering educational experiences, reflection and sharing knowledge about him.

The long-term exhibition at CMAS presents personal objects, works of art, scientific works, books and other written texts demonstrating Abel Salazar's unique life, activities and interests.

Rua Dr. Abel Salazar, nº 488
4465-012 S. Mamede de Infesta, Portugal

Tel.: (+351) 969 872 425
E-mail: [email protected]

Marques da Silva Foundation

The mission of the Marques da Silva Foundation is the scientific, cultural, educational and artistic promotion of all artistic and architectural heritage of the architect José Marques da Silva, the namesake of the "Porto School" of architecture. The Marques da Silva Foundation is also responsible for housing and disseminating – through exhibitions, conferences and other initiatives – other document collections or units related to the architecture and urbanism of Porto and Portugal.

Praça do Marquês de Pombal
4000-799 Porto, Portugal

Tel.: (+351) 225 518 557
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: https://fims.up.pt/

Porto Planetarium – Ciência Viva Center

Is it possible to travel through the universe without taking your feet off the ground? This is what the Porto Planetarium – Ciência Viva Centre proposes.

With its scientific management overseen by the Astrophysics Centre of the University of Porto (CAUP), the Planetarium offers a privileged look into various Astronomical themes. The fulldome digital projection system is used to transform the space into an immersive digital cinema for all ages.

Rua das Estrelas
4150-762 Porto, Portugal

Tel.: (+351) 226 089 800
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://planetario.up.pt/pt/