Portuguese Centre of Photography

Category: Civil Architecture > Museum

District: Porto > Porto > Porto > Centro Histórico

Location

The Portuguese Centre of Photography is located in the heart of Porto's Historic Centre, an area renowned for its rich heritage and unique atmosphere. It is situated at an accessible and easily identifiable point within the city's oldest urban fabric.

Being integrated into this World Heritage-classified area provides the location with an engaging context of great historical and cultural interest for visitors.

An Imposing Past

Housed in a remarkable 18th-century building, the Portuguese Centre of Photography has a unique history. For centuries, this imposing property served as Porto's Cadeia da Relação (Court Prison), also functioning as a court of justice. Its role as a prison establishment remained active until the 1970s, witnessing significant periods in the country's history.

The solidity of its 18th-century architecture evokes its past, contrasting today with its cultural function and its role in preserving visual heritage.

Unique Experience in the Former Cells

Visiting the Portuguese Centre of Photography offers an unusual experience, as the exhibitions unfold within the very premises of the former prison. By traversing its corridors and spaces, including some of the old cells and other areas where prisoners stayed, visitors directly engage with the building's memory while exploring the universe of photography.

This fusion between historical heritage and the art or technique of imagery creates a reflective and captivating environment, allowing one to appreciate photography within an architectural context with strong symbolic resonance.

The World of Photography Revealed

As a museum and archive, the Portuguese Centre of Photography is dedicated to safeguarding and disseminating Portuguese photographic heritage. It presents a vast collection of photographic cameras, illustrating the technological and artistic evolution of image capture over more than a century.

Complementing this collection of historical cameras, the centre hosts exhibitions that cover different eras, styles, and authors, offering perspectives on the history and practice of photography, both nationally and internationally.

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