{"id":9838,"date":"2022-02-07T15:26:26","date_gmt":"2022-02-07T15:26:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ulysses.travel\/soares-dos-reis-national-museum-porto\/"},"modified":"2024-01-18T14:22:57","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T14:22:57","slug":"soares-dos-reis-national-museum-porto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ulysses.travel\/en\/soares-dos-reis-national-museum-porto\/","title":{"rendered":"The Soares dos Reis National Museum in Porto"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A few steps from the Crystal Palace gardens, the Soares dos Reis National Museum houses one of the finest collections of Portuguese art in the world! Follow the guide! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83d\udca1 The Captain\u2019s tip<\/strong> \ud83d\udca1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83e\uddd0 Want to know more about Porto’s history?<\/strong> Captain Ulysses highly recommends this free guided tour of the city<\/a><\/mark>. It\u2019s up to you to choose how much you wish to tip the tour guide!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udca4 Looking for an hotel in Porto?<\/strong> Be sure to check out the Captain’s article: Where to stay in Porto? Advice & recommendations<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\udfdb Planning your trip to Porto?<\/strong> Be sure to check out Captain Ulysses’ complete article on what to see and do in the city: a Guide to Porto<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83d\udc76 Planning a family adventure to Porto?<\/strong> Discover all of the Captain\u2019s top tips in the article: Exploring Porto with the Kids: Family-Friendly Activities<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Brief history of the Soares dos Reis National Museum<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The origins of the Soares dos Reis National Museum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Founded by King Dom Pedro IV in 1833 to accommodate\nthe property of monasteries dissolved following the civil war between\nPortuguese liberals and conservatives, the Soares dos Reis Museum is Portugal’s\noldest public art museum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time of its creation, the museum was housed in the Convent of Santo Ant\u00f3nio,\neast of Porto, and was named Museu Portuense de Pinturas e<\/em> Estampas<\/em>\n(in English \u201cPortuan Museum of Paintings and Prints\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A century later, for museum’s centenary, it\nis renamed \u201cSoares dos Reis Museum\u201d. In 1940, the museum was moved to the\nCarrancas Palace, in the center of Porto. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Soares<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why is the museum called Soares dos Reis?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The museum is named after the Portuguese sculptor Ant\u00f3nio Soares dos Reis (born in Vila Nova de Gaia<\/a>, on the other side of the Douro). You’ll find plenty of his sculptures in the museum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visiting the Soares dos Reis Museum in Porto<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Carrancas Palace<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Palace of Carrancas is a neo-classical buidling built the Moraes e Castro family\nat the end of the 19th<\/sup>\ncentury. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The palace was converted into the headquarters of the Napoleonic army during the French occupation\nof the city, before passing between the hands of the troops\nof the Duke of Wellington. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be sure to have a look at the palace’s tree-lined courtyard. On sunny days, Captain Ulysse recommends taking the time to have coffee in the museum’s courtyard, away from the city’s hustle and bustle!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The collections of the Soares dos Reis National Museum <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fine arts <\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The museum houses vast collections of Portuguese art, dating in particular from the 18th<\/sup> to the 20th<\/sup> centuries. Visitors can discover many sculptures by the artist Soares dos Reis, but also a large number of naturalist works from the School of Porto (Silva Porto, Marques de Oliveira, Artur Loureiro, Henrique Pous\u00e3o\u2026).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Decorative Art<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The museum also exhibits beautiful collections of decorative art (antique furniture, ceramics, earthenware, etc.), musical instruments, goldsmithery, jewelry, etc. The decoration of the old palace has also been recreated: the dining room and the music room are particularly stunning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t miss the oriental furniture and objects brought back from\nPortuguese explorations in Asia, notably the Namban screens illustrating the arrival\nfrom the Portuguese in Japan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Access<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Getting to the Soares dos Reis Museum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The museum is located west of Porto’s city center, between the Livraria Lello<\/a>, the Cl\u00e9rigos Tower<\/a> and the Crystal Palace gardens. The nearest public transports are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n