Museu da Água

The Museu da Água (Water Museum) is a museum located in Lisbon, Portugal, primarily focusing on the subject of Lisbon's water supply infrastructure.^[1]

History

The museum is spread across a group of buildings which managed the water supply for the city of Lisbon across the 18th and 19th century.^[2]

The main museum building stands next to the Mãe de Agua das Amoreiras reservoir, built in 1746 by architect Carlos Mardel.^[3] The reservoir contains a water tank with a depth of 7.5m, capable of holding 5500m³ of water.^[2] Visitors are able to climb to the roof of the reservoir to see a panoramic view of the city.^[2]

The museum collection itself is located in the former steam pumping station of Barbadinhos, built in 1880, which is in a 19th-century industrial building.^[4] The museum features four large steam engines dating from 1876. One has been reconditioned as a working demonstration. The pumps were in use until 1928. The building also has a chimney, with a height of 40m.^[4]

The museum also features portions of Lisbon's 1746 Águas Livres aqueduct, which has a total length of 58km, being made up of 109 stone arches. The tallest section of the aqueduct is 65m high. The entire aqueduct survived an earthquake in 1755.^[5]

In 1990 the museum was awarded the Council of Europe Museum Prize.^[5]

The museum focuses on teaching about the framework of the water supply to the city of Lisbon, as well as sustainable water technology and enviromental awareness.^[4]

References

^ "Museu da Água". www.ipmuseus.pt (in Portuguese). Instituto dos Museus e da Conservação. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Museu da Agua | Global Network of Water Museums". www.watermuseums.net. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
^ "Water Museum - Mãe d´Água das Amoreiras Reservoir". Turismo de Lisboa. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c "EPAL - Empresa Portuguesa das Águas Livres, SA". www.epal.pt. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
^ ^a ^b "Lisbon Aqueduct". www.golisbon.com. Retrieved 22 April 2025.