LISBON: Maritime Museum

Lisbon’s Maritime Museum was created to honor Portugal’s naval achievements, starting from the 15th Century, the age of the great geographical discoveries.

The museum is the western wing (left in the photo) of the Jeronimos Monastery, but it was built 350 years after the start of the monastery.

The Maritime Museum (also referred to as the Navy Museum) shares the wing with the National Museum of Archeology.

The museum dates from 1863, when King Luis I started to collect sailing-related items. The king’s collection grew over time, and it led to establishment of the Maritime Museum, which opened in 1963.

The collection features old maps, models of ships, 18th Century royal ceremonial barges, sailing instruments (including the world’s largest collection of astrolabes), charts, paintings and archeological findings related to seafaring. We thought the life-size ancient ships below helped make the museum worthy of Portugal’s naval pedigree.