Versão portuguesa aqui.

GPS 38.698261576713115, -9.20122898465579

The National Palace of Belém houses, since October 2004, the Museum of the Presidency of the Republic, housed in the old stables of the palace. This museum intends to be a testimony of the life and work of the various presidents of the Portuguese Republic and is the result of an exhaustive research and collection, ordered by Dr. Jorge Sampaio. It thus intends to illustrate the path of more than 90 years of republican regime in Portugal, in an effort to approach and clarify the public.

The museum space is organized according to a thematic and chronological logic, with frequent use of new information technologies to create a place where interactivity is a special means of dialogue between the collection and the user. The permanent exhibition, for example, revolves around seven main sections: Republic and National Symbols (related to the implementation of this regime in Portugal), Republic and its Presidents, Presents of State, The Presidents of the Republic (which includes, in addition to oil paintings of each of the 17 Heads of State, personal objects and various documental, political and biographical collections of each of them), Belém Palace (virtual visit to the interior and gardens of the palace), Honorary Orders and Powers of the President, a room with computer points, where the visitor can access information related to the presidency of the republic, in various language registers and levels of information (from basic to specialized).

The museum also excels in offering an extensive and important cultural program, which presents a mix of cultural initiatives and recreational activities, aimed at audiences with different characteristics, ranging from conference cycles to courses and even a virtual class, the which can be accessed through the museum's website. The Museum of the Presidency of the Republic has a space for temporary exhibitions, a shop, an auditorium, a cafeteria and a terrace.

History

Inaugurated on October 5, 2004, it combines the traditional exhibition of collections linked to politicians who have headed the Portuguese State since 1910 with interactive information and knowledge systems. The route of the visit begins with the Portuguese National Symbols and ends with an approach to the powers, functions and activities of the Presidents and First Ladies of the country.

In addition to the exhibition space in the Palace of Belém, the Museum of the Presidency of the Republic has an exhibition entitled "Engine of the Republic: the cars of the Presidents", which has the vehicles used by the Presidents of the Portuguese Republic and many of the objects of personal and their professional work, at the Museum of Transport and Communications, at Alfândega Nova in Porto.

A film presents original images of the day of the Implantation of the Republic and the main events of each year from then on are shown by touching the screen of a computer, as well as the political biography of each of the Presidents, narrated in one-minute films and Midle.

The Museum was distinguished with the Cultural Heritage Prize of the European Union/Europa Nostra 2008, for its research work on the tangible and intangible heritage of the Palace of Belém, which allowed for the design and production of the exhibition and catalog "Do Palácio de Belém" .

The director of the Museum of the Presidency, Diogo Gaspar, was arrested on June 30, 2016 on suspicion of crimes of influence peddling, document forgery, embezzlement, embezzlement, economic participation in business and abuse of power. Diogo Gaspar, was released on bail of 50 thousand euros and suspended from the public functions he held. He was also prohibited from contacting officials and entering the Museum of the Presidency, General Secretariat of the Presidency and Palácio da Cidadela, in Cascais. 

He was replaced by Maria Antónia Pinto de Matos, former director of the Azulejo Museum. Through a virtual tour, you can get to know the Palace of Belém.

Archives

Among the personal and symbolic objects on display, the following stand out:

 The pistol that accompanied Sidónio Pais, the President-King, as Fernando Pessoa called it in a poem (present in the exhibition "Engine of the Republic: the cars of the Presidents" at the Museum of Transport and Communications); Spínola's monocle; a small diary used by Américo Tomás; and the gold watch that belonged to Mendes Cabeçadas. With regard to iconography, the Gallery of Official Portraits of the Presidents of the Portuguese Republic, painted by renowned artists, such as Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro, stands out.