A Lisbon Wonderland
One of Lisbon’s least-known but most fascinating museums is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary and has added a new attraction. That’s the Museu da Cidade (City Museum) which is completely dedicated to the history and culture of Lisbon, and the new attraction is a “ceramic zoo” in its garden. The museum actually has a vast garden space behind the palace that holds its collection, filled with statues and live peacocks, but new animals were just added, this time made of clay. They were created by one of Portugal’s all-time best ceramicists, Rafael Bordallo Pinheiro who brought these creatures to life in the late 19th century. At this new garden is a total of 1205 pieces, some tiny, others gigantic, from turtles to crabs, lobsters, toads, serpents, snails, wild mushrooms, and lizards. They were placed on fountains, around the greenery, or climbing walls. Together they form a wonderland showing the creative mind of one of Lisbon’s most popular artists, and is free to visit although you’ll still have to pass by the museum’s ticket office to be allowed in. It closes on Mondays, but is a great outdoors attraction for kids and adults on any other day.
