Municipal Museum of Archaeology of Loulé

Category: Civil Architecture > Museum

District: Faro > Loulé > Loulé > São Clemente

Location

The Municipal Museum of Archaeology of Loulé is located in the heart of the city's historic center. It is housed within the walled perimeter of Loulé Castle, which places the visitor in the historical atmosphere of the town.

It occupies the castle's old alcaidaria (governor's residence), a building originating from the Middle Ages that served as the residence for the alcaide (governor). Being located in this historic and emblematic building gives a special context to the visit.

The Building and Its Layers

The building housing the museum is, in itself, a piece of history. It is the castle's old alcaidaria, a construction dating back to the Middle Ages that served as the residence of the alcaide, an important historical figure in local governance.

The museum was built over remnants of residential constructions from the Islamic period, predating the medieval alcaidaria. These vestiges, such as stone and brick walls and arches, have been carefully integrated into the exhibition space, allowing visitors to observe the different historical layers. In one of the rooms, part of the floor is made of glass, offering a unique perspective of the ruins beneath.

The Collection and Loulé's Past

The museum's collection brings together a significant set of artifacts discovered in archaeological excavations carried out in the municipality of Loulé. This collection covers a very vast chronological period, from prehistory to the end of the Modern Age, passing through crucial eras such as the Roman period and the Islamic and Christian Middle Ages.

In addition to purely archaeological findings, the museum also preserves relevant historical documentation and elements related to ethnography and industrial archaeology. This diversity of materials, some provided by institutions such as the National Museum of Archaeology in Lisbon, allows for telling the long and multifaceted history of the Loulé region.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt