Museu Municipal de Loulé

About the museum

The idea of a museum in Loulé has existed since 1934. In 1978 a pro-museum and archive committee was set up, and in 1983 the project to install the museum in the castle's alcaidaria (alcaide's residence) gained momentum. The Museu Municipal de Arqueologia de Loulé (Loulé Municipal Archaeology Museum) opened on 25 May 1995, with architectural and museographic design by Mário Varela Gomes.

The long-term exhibition at the headquarters tells the history of the Loulé territory from prehistory to the modern period, based on the most significant objects collected in the municipality. Over time the museum stopped defining itself only by archaeology and became a territory museum, organised as a network with several units: the Cozinha Tradicional (Traditional Kitchen), the first space, from 1991; Frutos Secos (Dried Fruit), Salir, Cândido Guerreiro and Condes de Alte; Água (in Querença); and the Banhos Islâmicos (Islamic Baths) and Casa Senhorial dos Barreto (Barreto Manor House), from 2022.

The museum has been part of the Algarve Museum Network since 2007 and of the Portuguese Museums Network since 2017. A project to renovate the headquarters is planned, as part of the requalification of a cultural block in the historic centre.

Highlights

• Long-term exhibition on the Loulé territory, from prehistory to the modern era
• Headquarters in Loulé's castle, in the historic centre
• Network of museum units across the municipality
• Banhos Islâmicos and Casa Senhorial dos Barreto, awarded by APOM in 2023
• Material in Braille and audio information for visitors with visual impairments

Permanent exhibitions

• Exposição de longa duração do núcleo sede – The history of the Loulé territory from prehistory to the modern period, based on the most significant objects collected in the municipality. The archaeology unit is temporarily closed.
• Pólo Museológico da Cozinha Tradicional – Museum space dedicated to traditional cuisine, in the same building as the headquarters.

Founded

1995

Operated by

Município de Loulé

Admission & discounts

Free admission: International Museums Day, European Heritage Days, Historic Centres Day and National Castles Day.

Admission is also free for Loulé residents with proof of residence, for organised groups on visits by the museum's education services, and in the cases provided for in protocols. The same price of €1.62 applies to the Traditional Cuisine unit.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The headquarters has printed support material in Braille and audio information for visitors with visual impairments, and access with guide dogs is permitted. The Traditional Cuisine unit, the documentation centre, the walkway and the castle towers have accessibility constraints for people with reduced mobility.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Since 2014, on the second Saturday of each month, the education services offer activities for children aged 7 to 12 accompanied by an adult (“Famílias no Museu”, Families at the Museum).

Getting there & parking

The headquarters is in Loulé's castle, in the historic centre, on Rua D. Paio Peres Correia.

Amenities & 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