Museu do Trajo de São Brás de Alportel

About the museum

The Museu do Trajo de São Brás de Alportel opened in 1986 and is the result of a journey of about three decades, which began with the Museu Etnográfico da Paróquia (Parish Ethnographic Museum). It is housed in a 19th-century manor mansion with Romantic and neo-Arab influences, commissioned by the cork industrialist Miguel Andrade and inhabited over generations by the Andrade, Sancho and Dias families. The last owner donated the property to the community.

The property covers about 5,000 m² and retains the outbuildings of a wealthy rural family: servants' quarters, a belvedere, stables, a coach house, workshops, farm buildings and a kitchen garden, as well as a well, a noria (water wheel), a windmill, water tanks and a cistern. A contemporary building has been added to the old complex.

The collection is devoted mainly to traditional Algarve clothing, with thousands of pieces dating from the 18th century onwards, and includes areas on cork and photography, as well as spaces for temporary exhibitions and concerts. Inspired by social museology, the museum functions as a community space, with strong participation from volunteers and a monthly programme of activities run by the Friends of the Museum (Amigos do Museu).

Highlights

• Large collection of Algarve costumes, with pieces from the 18th century
• 19th-century mansion with neo-Arab lines and preserved farm outbuildings
• Space dedicated to the cork industry
• Property of 5,000 m² with kitchen garden and windmill
• Regular programme of community activities, concerts and exhibitions

Permanent exhibitions

• Coleção de trajo algarvio – Historic Algarve clothing, which serves as a starting point for reflection on the region's themes and problems.
• A cortiça – Ethnographic space devoted to cork, important for the identity of the communities of the interior and of the Algarve highlands (serra).

Founded

1986

Admission & discounts

Prices per person.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• 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

According to the Algarve Museum Network, all spaces are accessible by wheelchair.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on Rua Dr. José Dias Sancho, in São Brás de Alportel.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Bar and shop in the museum.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.