National Coach Museum, Transport museum in Belém, Portugal.
The National Coach Museum is a transport museum in Belém, Portugal, presenting royal coaches and ceremonial vehicles from several centuries. The collection is housed across two sites, including a modern exhibition building with bright halls and large windows, designed by Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha.
Queen Amélia of Orléans and Braganza founded the museum in 1905 inside the former riding arena of the Belém Palace to preserve the royal coaches of the Portuguese monarchy. After decades in the old building, much of the collection moved in 2015 to a new structure that offers more space and better lighting.
The name reflects the era when coaches symbolized the wealth and power of the Portuguese royal court, and today the building is one of Lisbon's most visited cultural institutions. Visitors see vehicles that diplomats and monarchs used during ceremonial occasions, and can examine the rich ornamentation of gilded wood and painted surfaces.
The museum opens Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, and remains closed on Mondays. Guided tours in several languages and educational programs for children are regularly available, and afternoon hours tend to offer a quieter visit.
The collection holds more than 70 vehicles and is considered the most extensive of its kind worldwide, including the 16th-century travel coach of Philip II of Portugal. Some coaches still bear traces of bullet holes and repairs that tell of past journeys and attacks.
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