Museu do Lactário
Museum in Santa Apolónia about the first Lactário (milk dispensary) in Portugal, a child-welfare institution in Alfama, with the incubators of 1903.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Museu do Lactário was created in 2019 by the Fundação Aboim Sande Lemos to present the history of the first milk station in Portugal. The institution was founded in 1901, when Colonel Rodrigo António Aboim Ascensão (1859–1930), commander of a company of the Guarda Fiscal (customs and revenue guard) in Alfama, founded the Associação Protectora da Primeira Infância, inspired by the French model of the “gouttes de lait” (milk-drop dispensaries). The Lactário began operating in 1903, in buildings designed by the architect Miguel Ventura Terra.
The service distributed hygienic, free milk every day to needy children in the Alfama neighbourhood and their families. As well as milk, it offered weekly paediatric consultations, hygiene support for mothers, social support through the “protetoras auxiliares” (auxiliary protectors), and care for premature newborns, using the first incubators in the country.
The collection brings together objects of science and technology, painting, sculpture, azulejos, photographs and archival documentation linked to the institution's activity. The route is divided into an area dedicated to the creation of the Lactário and its founder, and several sections that reconstruct the former services: milk production, milk distribution, medical service, hygiene, social service and administration.
The most valuable item is the four incubators for premature babies, acquired in 1903, designed by the Frenchman Alexandre Lion and already restored. Visits are always guided and require a prior booking.
Highlights
- Four incubators for premature babies acquired in 1903
- Reconstructed spaces of the former services: milk production and distribution, medical service, hygiene and social service
- Paintings, sculptures and documents on the founder Rodrigo Aboim Ascensão
- Azulejos, photographs and the institution's archive
- Visits always guided
- Founded
- 2019
- Operated by
- Fundação Aboim Sande Lemos
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €2 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 6 · Free admission for children up to the age of 6. |
| Groups | €1 per personSchool groups: €1 per pupil; maximum of 20 visitors per booking. |
Ticket: €2 per visitor. School groups: €1 per pupil.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 6 |
|---|
The museum's website includes a page for children that tells the story of the Lactário in simple terms. Free admission up to the age of 6.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Santa Apolónia
Metro: Santa Apolónia station. Buses: 706, 712, 728, 734, 735, 759, 781, 782 and 794.
Located in the Largo do Museu de Artilharia, in Santa Apolónia.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Visits are always guided and subject to prior booking by e-mail or telephone, stating the number of visitors (maximum 20), contact details and the desired date; bookings are subject to confirmation. The museum has been a partner of the Passaporte Escolar programme of Lisbon City Council since May 2022, which covers transport for schools. |
