Category: Civil Architecture > Museum
District: Lisboa > Mafra > Mafra > Sobreiro
José Franco's Village Museum is located in the village of Sobreiro, which belongs to the municipality of Mafra.
It is situated in the vicinity of the road connecting the town of Mafra to Ericeira, and is easily identifiable along the route.
This space was born from the dream of José Franco, a renowned master potter from the region, together with his partner Helena.
It began to take shape in the 1950s with the aim of preserving and showcasing the unique identity and culture of Mafra's saloia region, at a time when traditional life was rapidly changing.
Visiting the Village Museum offers an authentic journey through time, allowing visitors to discover and recall what daily life was like in an old saloia village.
The site is a careful recreation of a traditional rural environment, full of details that show the uses, customs, and landscapes of a not-so-distant past.
The space includes various buildings and environments that represent the activities and professions that characterized life in the region.
It is possible to observe the recreation of an old grocery store, a bakery with its wood-fired oven, a pottery workshop that demonstrates the importance of ceramics and pottery in Mafra, an old classroom, and workshops of various trades such as blacksmithing, shoemaking, or carpentry.
One of the most characteristic elements of the Village Museum is the reduced-scale representation of a typical village from the region.
This part of the space displays with great detail scenes of rural and urban life, often with figures that simulate movement, offering a charming perspective on the environment of the time.
Integrated into the village's rural environment, there is a small farm that hosts some animals typical of this type of setting, such as sheep, goats, and rabbits.
This corner adds a lively and traditional dimension to the visiting experience.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 38.9597917,-9.3536308
Coordinates DMS: 38°57'35.3"N 09°21'13.1"W
Weather Mafra
On-duty Pharmacy Mafra
