Museu do Trabalho Michel Giacometti
Municipal museum in a former canning factory in Setúbal, with exhibitions on rural life, the canning industry and a century-old grocery shop.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The idea of a museum dedicated to the world of work came from Michel Giacometti, based on the collection of farm implements and everyday objects gathered in 1975 by students of the Serviço Cívico Estudantil. The museum was created on 25 April 1987, with the exhibition “O trabalho faz o homem”. Three years later the Municipal Council acquired the former Perienes canning factory, which operated until 1971 and represents the canning industry of Setúbal.
In the 1920s there were 140 factories in operation in Setúbal and, in 1930, the city was the country's largest port for canned fish. Research into the making of fish preserves and into the memories of those who worked in them gave rise, on 18 May 1995, to the museum's second long-term exhibition.
Today the museum presents three long-term exhibitions, linked to the three economic sectors: “Ao Encontro do Povo”, on the rural world; “Da Lota à Lata”, on the canning industry installed in the factory itself; and “Mercearia Liberdade”, which recreates a Lisbon grocery donated to the municipality in 2002. There is also a space for temporary exhibitions, a documentation centre, a memory centre and a visitable technical store.
Highlights
- Former Perienes canning factory, museumised on site
- Exhibition “Da Lota à Lata” on the canning production chain
- Mercearia Liberdade, a century-old grocery donated to the municipality
- “Ao Encontro do Povo”: farm implements and objects collected by Michel Giacometti
- Visitable technical store and memory centre
Permanent exhibitions
- Da Lota à Lata – Museumised industrial-archaeology collection in the former factory, showing the production chain of Setúbal's traditional canning industry.
- Ao Encontro do Povo – The rural world evoked through farm implements and household objects collected in 1975 in a project led by Michel Giacometti.
- Mercearia Liberdade – Century-old grocery shop from Avenida da Liberdade in Lisbon, donated to the municipality in 2002.
- Founded
- 1987
- Operated by
- Município de Setúbal
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €2.05 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 23 · Free admission for children and young people up to and including age 23. |
| Seniors | freeFree admission for adults over 64. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free admission for visitors with a disability of 60% or more and one companion. |
| Groups (15+ people) | €1.55 per personGroup ticket per person, minimum 15 people, with prior booking. |
| Families | –50% discount on the total price for families of more than three people in the household. |
| Circuit ticket (network of municipal museums, valid one month) | €9.25 |
Free admission: First Sunday of each month, International Museum Day and European Night of Museums.
Free admission for children and young people up to and including age 23, and for adults over 64; for visitors with a disability of 60% or more and one companion; for unemployed visitors resident in the European Union; for museum and heritage professionals on duty; for members of ICOM, ICOMOS and APOM; for journalists, accredited guides, teachers and accompanying adults of school groups; on International Museum Day, on the European Night of Museums and on the first Sunday of each month. Holders of the Setúbal municipal youth card (Cartão Jovem) receive a 50% discount.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Detailed accessibility information was not obtained; the portal of the Setúbal municipal museums is dedicated to a culture without barriers.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 23 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
Educational activities for families and schools.
Getting there & parking
The museum is on Largo Defensores da República, in the Salgado neighbourhood, in Setúbal.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum has a documentation centre and a memory centre.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided visits throughout the year; for groups, by prior booking. The educational service offers activities such as “Na Mercearia, quem diria…”, “São todas sardinhas!” and a peddy-paper treasure hunt in the factory. |
