Centro Interpretativo da Ovelha Serra da Estrela
Interpretation centre in Santa Marinha (Seia), in an 18th-century building, on the Serra da Estrela sheep, wool, cheese and shepherds.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Centro Interpretativo da Ovelha Serra da Estrela opened in 2023 in Santa Marinha, Seia, to honour the territory, the sheep and the shepherds. It occupies an 18th-century building that has served as a town hall, prison and courthouse, and is spread over three floors, where visitors follow a sensory and immersive experience on wool, milk, pasture and the work of the shepherds.
The centre explains that the Serra da Estrela sheep is the Portuguese breed with the highest milk yield, used for Queijo Serra da Estrela DOP cheese, and follows the path of wool, from shearing in spring to yarn ready for weaving, passing through washing, carding, spinning and dyeing. It also covers transhumance, of which the mountain range is the last living refuge in Portugal, and the “arcas do pão” (bread chests), granite formations where shepherds kept their bread.
It is a joint initiative of the Museu do Pão (Bread Museum) and the Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau, both part of the O Valor do Tempo group. The visit is included in the ticket for the Museu do Pão, which is about 5 km away.
Highlights
- 18th-century building, former town hall, prison and courthouse
- Sensory and immersive experience across three floors
- The wool route and Queijo Serra da Estrela DOP cheese
- Transhumance and the life of the shepherds
- Visit included in the ticket for the Museu do Pão
Permanent exhibition
- Exposição permanente – Sensory experience across three floors on the Serra da Estrela sheep, wool, milk and cheese, transhumance and the shepherds.
- Founded
- 2023
- Operated by
- Grupo O Valor do Tempo
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