Museu Mineiro de São Pedro da Cova
Museum housed in a former miners' lodging, telling the story of the São Pedro da Cova coal mines, with tools, models and fossils.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Museu Mineiro de São Pedro da Cova is housed in one of the former casas da malta (miners' lodgings), where miners who came from other regions were accommodated. After the Companhia das Minas de Carvão (coal mining company) closed in 1970, the building was left abandoned until 1987, when the Junta de Freguesia (parish council) acquired and restored it. The museum opened in 1989, and its mission is to enhance, publicise and promote the geological and mining heritage of the locality. The collection began to be gathered in the 1970s, when the population occupied the company's former offices and set up a first museum there in 1976.
Over the years the space lost its dynamism. From 2008 a revitalisation plan was applied, with an inventory of the objects, a reorganisation of the permanent exhibition, temporary exhibitions, workshops, colloquia and concerts. The building was remodelled according to a project by the Liga de Amigos do Museu Mineiro (League of Friends of the Mining Museum) and reopened to the public on 25 April 2012. The museum belongs to the Roteiro de Minas e Pontos de Interesse Mineiro e Geológico de Portugal (Route of Mines and Points of Mining and Geological Interest of Portugal).
The collection brings together industrial mining objects and documentation, tools used in the extraction, processing and dispatch of coal, models and machinery, clothing and everyday objects of mining families, as well as the company's archive, with about 8,000 workers' files. In the geological section, open since 2015, the fossil collection of Firmino Jesus is shown, with trilobites, ammonites, fish and sea urchins from several countries.
Highlights
- Miners' lodging where the miners lived, turned into a museum in 1989
- Tools, models and machinery for coal extraction and processing
- Archive of the Companhia das Minas de Carvão, with about 8,000 workers' files
- Fossil collection of Firmino Jesus, with trilobites and ammonites
- The only museum of its kind in Portugal
Permanent exhibition
- Exposição permanente do Museu Mineiro – Tools, models and machinery for coal extraction, the life of mining families and a geological section with Firmino Jesus's fossil collection.
- Founded
- 1989
- Operated by
- União das Freguesias de Fânzeres e São Pedro da Cova
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €2 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €1Children and young people aged 4 to 18 pay €1. |
| Children & teens | €1free up to age 3 · Free admission for children under 4; from 4 to 18, €1. |
Residents of the Union of Parishes of Fânzeres and São Pedro da Cova have free admission. Prices given in the announcement of a museum exhibition; confirm before the visit.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 3 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
The education service provides teaching worksheets on mining and trilobites, for pre-school and the 1st cycle.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The building has a library and documentation centre on mining and geology, and a meeting space.
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 for groups require prior booking through a form on the parish council's website. The education service provides teaching worksheets on mining and trilobites for use in the classroom. |
