Museums and Palaces

The idea of creating a museum to house the archaeological pieces collected in the local region was first mooted in the 19th century. Yet, the project was only realised in 1984, at the initiative of the Ferrominas company, in cooperation with the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, as part of a joint programme of research into industrial archaeology.

The Ferrominas company was involved in the mining of iron ore and also undertook historical research into this local activity. After the company was dissolved in 1986, its museum collections were given to Moncorvo Municipal Council.

In 1993, the Municipal Council signed a cooperation agreement with the Archaeological Project for the Moncorvo Region, which in turn gave rise to the new Moncorvo Regional and Iron Museum. It was decided at that time that the main objective of this museum venture would be to house the collection of pieces from the now extinct Iron Museum, as well as the collection of documents built up over the years. Overall, the collection consists of exhibits from the areas of regional archaeology, ethnography and history.

Currently, the museum is housed in the Solar do Barão de Palme, an 16th-century manor house, which was formerly the headquarters of the Republican National Guard.