National Museum of Science & Natural History, Natural history museum in Santo António, Lisbon, Portugal
The National Museum of Science and Natural History in Lisbon displays collections of animals, rocks, plants, and human evolution across several exhibition halls. The rooms are housed in the building of the former Polytechnic School and provide insights into different areas of natural science.
The institution began as a royal collection of natural specimens in the 1700s and relocated in 1858 to its current building at the Polytechnic School. This move allowed the collections to expand and be better organized as the scientific holdings grew.
The museum holds scientific collections built over generations that reflect how Portuguese researchers have studied and understood the natural world. Visitors can see in the display rooms the methods and approaches that scientists used to document species, fossils, and minerals.
The museum is located on Rua da Escola Politecnica and is accessible to visitors with different mobility needs. Clear signage in the rooms makes it easy to navigate between the different exhibition areas.
A fire in 1978 destroyed large portions of the zoology and geology collections, forcing the museum to reassess what it held. Some of the damaged items were later reconstructed or replaced through donations.
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