Description of the attraction
Guimaraes, located in the north of Portugal, was the first capital of Portugal. The city is known for its well-preserved historic center with many architectural masterpieces. The historic center of Guimaraes is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The archaeological museum of Martin Sarmento is located on the grounds of the 14th century Gothic-style monastery of Saint Dominic and is considered one of the most interesting places in Guimaraes. It is noteworthy that it is in the museum that we can plunge into the atmosphere of pre-Romanesque culture in Portugal.
The museum itself was founded in 1881, the opening took place in 1885. The museum is named after the archaeologist Martin Sarmentu, who studied the sites of the Iron Age. At the end of the 19th century, Martin Sarmentu conducted excavations of the Celtic settlement of Sitania di Briteyros, where very interesting objects were found that can be seen in the museum: jewelry of that time, fragments of weapons of the warriors of Louisitania,. In 1897, Pedra Formosa appeared among the exhibits - an archaeological monument of the Castro culture, whose name means "beautiful stone". These are two stone slabs from the tomb, on which decorative elements and symbols are engraved.
The museum also exhibits numismatic and ethnographic collections, items from prehistoric and protohistoric eras in Portugal.
It is worth noting that the museum's expositions are constantly replenished, as archaeological excavations in the vicinity of the city do not stop.
