Industrial Museum Bay of Tagus

Category: Civil Architecture > Museum

District: Setúbal > Barreiro > Barreiro > Quimiparque

Location

The Industrial Museum Baía do Tejo is located in what is today the Barreiro Business Park, an area that once housed one of the country's largest industrial complexes. This zone, also known by its former name Quimiparque, is situated in the locality and municipality of Barreiro. Its name, "Baía do Tejo" (Tagus Bay), reflects its proximity to the Tagus River estuary, evoking the region's historical connection to industrial and port activity that profoundly shaped the local landscape.

Memory of Portuguese Industry

This museum is a guardian of the history of one of the pillars of Portuguese industry: the Companhia União Fabril (CUF). Founded in 1908 in Barreiro, CUF grew to become one of Europe's most important chemical-industrial complexes in the mid-20th century. The museum space is dedicated to preserving and sharing the legacy of this industrial giant, showcasing the scale and complexity of its operations.

The Collection

The museum's collection comprises a vast array of industrial equipment that bears witness to CUF's diverse production areas, from chemical and textile to metalworking and energy generation. In addition to the machinery, the collection includes an important documentary and iconographic archive, which helps in understanding the operations of the former factories. This material offers a perspective on aspects as varied as the production processes of fertilizers and oils, workplace safety and hygiene, and even the social services the company provided to its workers.

A Building with History

The very building that houses the Industrial Museum Baía do Tejo is an integral part of its narrative. It is the former CUF Diesel Power Plant, a 1935 construction notable for its dimensions and architectural particularities. This space, originally designed to generate energy, underwent a careful restoration initiated in 1999, being adapted for its current museum function and providing an authentic environment for the exploration of industrial heritage.

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