Museum of Romanticism

Category: Civil Architecture > Museum

District: Porto > Porto > Porto > Vilar

Location

The Romanticism Museum is located in the Vilar area, in the city of Porto, in a space that corresponds to the old Quinta da Macieirinha. This historic estate, with its characteristics of an 18th-century country house, is situated within a vast green area that includes the Crystal Palace Gardens and the Casa Tait Gardens.

Its privileged position, on Rua de Entre-Quintas, offers an unobstructed view over the Douro River and the Atlantic Ocean, contributing to a calm and enveloping atmosphere where the green of the gardens meets the riverside and maritime landscape.

The Residence and Historical Memory

The building that houses the museum is a remarkable 18th-century house, once owned by the Pinto Basto family. In addition to its architectural beauty, the house holds particular historical significance as it was the place of exile and death of Charles Albert of Savoy, King of Piedmont and Sardinia, in 1849.

In homage to the monarch's memory, some of the house's spaces have been carefully recreated, such as his bedroom and other rooms, seeking to evoke the atmosphere of his last days, based on visual records from the period. This reconstruction offers an intimate perspective on a crucial moment in European history and the life of a prominent 19th-century figure.

A Portrait of Porto Romanticism

The Romanticism Museum offers an immersion into the atmosphere of a 19th-century bourgeois house in Porto, a significant period for the city and the Romantic movement in Portugal. The permanent exhibition and its collections reflect the customs, ways of life, and aesthetics of the era, allowing for an understanding of daily life and romantic ideals.

With a renovated museological project, the space also explores the intrinsic relationship between the natural world and the artistic and literary production of Romanticism. Through various exhibition arrangements, some of which are presented to the public for the first time, the museum invites reflection on the lasting influence of the romantic spirit in the city and on the valuable municipal collections displayed here.

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