Category: Culture and Entertainment > Museum
District: Porto > Baião > Gestaçô > Candeiro
The Casa das Bengalas is located in the Candeiro area, in the parish of Gestaçô, municipality of Baião. The building is situated in an area marked by its green landscape and the typical rural traits of the region, providing a simple and welcoming setting. The surroundings combine the tranquility of the local environment with the proximity of the artisanal traditions that made the parish famous.
Located in the heart of Gestaçô, the House serves as a direct point of contact with the memory and practice of a craft that has marked generations, allowing us to understand the deep connection between the community and the art of working with wood.
The production of walking sticks in Gestaçô began at the end of the 19th century. The name of Alexandre Pinto Ribeiro stands out as a central figure in this craft: in 1902, he established his workshop and introduced the bending technique, which consisted of softening the wood in hot water and molding it with the help of a metal bar. This innovation made it possible to reduce waste and improve the quality of the pieces.
From this transformation, Gestaçô became a regional reference in the production of walking sticks and umbrella handles, receiving orders from different parts of the country. The creativity of the artisans also brought aesthetic diversity, with walking sticks decorated with animal heads, cherry wood polishing, and inlays of materials such as mother-of-pearl, silver, and gold.
The Casa das Bengalas is organized into three main areas. In the reception, you can find various models of walking sticks and some local products. A second space presents informative panels and a mural that contextualizes the history of the craft. Finally, the room dedicated to tools exhibits old objects related to the artisanal process and representative pieces from production over time.
This ensemble creates an atmosphere that blends memory and practice, allowing a close look at the relationship between traditional technique and cultural preservation. The space values the heritage passed down through generations and keeps alive the artisanal identity of Gestaçô.
The manufacture of walking sticks from Gestaçô has recently been recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage under urgent safeguard, integrating the National Inventory. This classification reinforces the importance of preserving the know-how and the continuity of an art that, despite social and economic changes, maintains a special significance in the municipality of Baião and in the Portuguese cultural landscape.
Today, in addition to its artisanal and historical function, Gestaçô walking sticks continue to be present in academic traditions, such as the Queima das Fitas (End-of-Year Festival), where thousands of students use examples produced in local workshops. This link between past and present shows how the craft continues to have cultural and symbolic relevance in the country.
Coordinates DD: 41.16643373227628,-7.931519145383408
Coordinates DMS: 41°09'59.2"N 07°55'53.5"W
Weather Gestaçô
On-duty Pharmacy Gestaçô
