Museums and Palaces

The Money Museum is located in downtown Lisbon, in the old Church of São Julião, open to the public since the spring of 2016. It is a cultural equipment that aims to trace the history of money in multiple aspects, in Portugal and internationally. This museum tells the story of money throughout the evolution of Western and Eastern societies, where you can see collections of coins and banknotes of Bank of Portugal (Banco de Portugal), as well as interactive installations.

The museum exhibits are grouped in thematic clusters, which focus on pre-monetary and other means of payment, stories of unique coins, the iconography of money, the evolution of banking, the manufacture of banknotes and coins, banknote illustrations, security features and also a set of personal testimonies on the role of money in the lives of citizens. The museum highlights items such as a 12.6 kg gold bar, essentially pure, a Chinese banknote, ancient and rare coins and a fraction of D. Dinis' Wall.

It also has a cafeteria and shop, as well as a diverse cultural programme for all age groups. The building has belonged to Bank of Portugal (Banco de Portugal) since 1933; between 2007 and 2012, renovation and restoration work was carried out on the old church, as well as the installation of the museum, a project by the architects Gonçalo Byrne and João Pedro Falcão de Campos.