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Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located mostly on the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the westernmost sovereign state of mainland Europe, being bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the north and east by Spain. Its territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, both autonomous regions with their own regional governments. The official and national language is Portuguese. Portugal is the oldest nation state on the Iberian Peninsula and one of the oldest in Europe, its territory having been continuously settled, invaded and fought over since prehistoric times. Inhabited by pre-Celtic and Celtic peoples, visited by Phoenicians-Carthaginians, Ancient Greeks and ruled by the Romans, who were followed by the invasions of the Suebi and Visigothic Germanic peoples. After the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, most of its territory was part of Al-Andalus. Portugal as a country was established during the early Christian Reconquista. Founded in 868, the County of Portugal gained prominence after the Battle of São Mamede . The Kingdom of Portugal was later proclaimed following the Battle of Ourique , and independence from León was recognized by the Treaty of Zamora .In the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal established the first global maritime and commercial empire, becoming one of the world's major economic, political and military powers. During this period, today referred to as the Age of Discovery, Portuguese explorers pioneered maritime exploration, notably under royal patronage of Prince Henry the Navigator and King John II, with such notable voyages as Bartolomeu Dias' sailing beyond the Cape of Good Hope , Vasco da Gama's discovery of the sea route to India and the European discovery of what would become Brazil . During this time Portugal monopolized the spice trade, divided the world into hemispheres of dominion with Castile, and the empire expanded with military campaigns in Asia. However, events such as the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, the country's occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence of Brazil erased to a great extent Portugal's prior opulence.After the 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy, the democratic but unstable Portuguese First Republic was established, later being superseded by the Estado Novo authoritarian regime. Democracy was restored after the Carnation Revolution , ending the Portuguese Colonial War. Shortly after, independence was granted to almost all its overseas territories. The handover of Macau to China marked the end of what can be considered one of the longest-lived colonial empires. Portugal has left a profound cultural, architectural and linguistic influence across the globe, with a legacy of around 250 million Portuguese speakers, and many Portuguese-based creoles. It is a developed country with an advanced economy and high living standards. Additionally, it is highly placed in rankings of moral freedom , peacefulness , democracy , press freedom , stability , social progress , and prosperity . A member of the United Nations, the European Union, the Schengen Area and the Council of Europe , Portugal was also one of the founding members of NATO, the eurozone, the OECD, and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries.

Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

Avenidas Novas

The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum , also known simply as the Gulbenkian Museum, is a major encyclopedic art museum in Lisbon, Portugal, in the civil parish of Avenidas Novas. As part of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, one of the wealthiest foundations in the world, the Gulbenkian Museum houses one of the largest private collections of art in the world. It encompasses the art of the world from antiquity forward, and was the private collection of a single man, oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian.

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

Avenidas Novas

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation , commonly referred to simply as the Gulbenkian Foundation, is a Portuguese institution dedicated to the promotion of the arts, philanthropy, science, and education. One of the wealthiest charitable foundations in the world, the Gulbenkian Foundation was founded on 18 July 1956 according to the last will and testament of Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian, a Portugal-based oil magnate who bequeathed his assets to the country in the form of a foundation. The oil magnate had one of the largest private art collections in Europe, which is housed in the foundation's Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon. The foundation hosts numerous institutions and initiatives including the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Gulbenkian Science Institute, Gulbenkian Prizes and the Gulbenkian Commission.

Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

Oleiros, Portugal

The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum , also known simply as the Gulbenkian Museum, is a major encyclopedic art museum in Lisbon, Portugal, in the civil parish of Avenidas Novas. As part of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, one of the wealthiest foundations in the world, the Gulbenkian Museum houses one of the largest private collections of art in the world. It encompasses the art of the world from antiquity forward, and was the private collection of a single man, oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian.

Grão Vasco National Museum

Viseu

The Grão Vasco Museum is an art museum located in the city of Viseu, in Portugal. The museum is named after one of the most important Portuguese painters of the Renaissance, Vasco Fernandes , who had his workshop in Viseu. The museum, founded in 1916, occupies the building of the old Seminary, located beside Viseu Cathedral. The building, began in the late 16th century in Mannerist style, has had its interior recently modernised by Porto architect Eduardo Souto de Moura. The main exhibits of the museum are the painted altarpieces executed for Viseu Cathedral during the Renaissance. These include the main altarpiece, executed by a workshop that included the young Vasco Fernandes and was apparently led by Francisco Henriques, as well as later altarpieces by a mature Vasco Fernandes and his collaborator, Gaspar Vaz. The artistic significance of these altarpieces turn the Grão Vasco Museum into one of the most important art museums in Portugal. The collections also include metalwork, tapestry and sculpture.

Berardo Collection Museum

Lisbon metropolitan area

The Berardo Collection Museum is a museum of modern and contemporary art in Belém, a district of Lisbon, Portugal.

National Museum of Contemporary Art (Portugal)

Santa Maria Maior (Lisbon)

The National Museum of Contemporary Art is an art museum located in the Chiado neighbourhood of Lisbon, Portugal. It was created in 1911 and re-inaugurated, in new installations, in 1994. The museum covers the period between 1850 and 1950, with works by the foremost Portuguese artists of the period, as well as some foreigners. It holds the best collection of Portuguese painting and sculpture from the Romanticism, Naturalism, and Modern periods. Among the artists represented are António Silva Porto, António Carneiro, António Soares dos Reis, Miguel Ângelo Lupi, Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro, Amadeo de Souza Cardoso, Abel Manta, Dórdio Gomes, Adriano Sousa Lopes, José de Almada Negreiros, Nadir Afonso, Mário Eloy, Francisco Augusto Metrass, Auguste Rodin, and many others. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions. Since 1911, the Chiado Museum has occupied part of the old Convent of São Francisco in Lisbon, a building of mediaeval origin. The 1994 adaptation and renovation of the museum areas were done by French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte.

Palace of Mafra

Mafra, Portugal

The Palace of Mafra , also known as the Palace-Convent of Mafra and the Royal Building of Mafra , is a monumental Baroque and Neoclassical palace-monastery located in Mafra, Portugal, some 28 kilometres from Lisbon. Construction began in 1717 under King John V of Portugal and was completely concluded in 1755. The palace was classified as a National Monument in 1910 and was also a finalist in the Seven Wonders of Portugal. On 7 July 2019, the Royal Building of Mafra – Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden and Hunting Park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Arouca Abbey

Arouca, Portugal

The Abbey of St. Batholomew, more simply known as the Abbey of Arouca , was a Cistercian monastery of women dating from the 10th century. It is located in Arouca, now in the Porto metropolitan area of Portugal. For much of its existence, it was one of the most influential religious centers in that region of the country.

José Malhoa Museum

Caldas da Rainha

The Museu de José Malhoa , in Caldas da Rainha, is a regional Portuguese museum, that hosts the finest collection of the Portuguese naturalist painter José Malhoa. The museum building, the first purpose-built museum in Portugal, was constructed in 1940 and enlarged in 1950 and 1957. The museum's collection includes paintings, sculptures, medals, drawings and ceramics from the 19th and 20th centuries.

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