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Museu do Dinheiro, Baixa, Lisbon, Portugal
Category

Culture

Est. Duration

1-2h

Age requirement

All ages

Message from Lusideias

Museu do Dinheiro ("Money Museum") was founded and is maintained by the Bank of Portugal, in downtown Lisbon, right next to Praça do Município ("Municipality Square") and the Lisbon City Hall. Admission is free!

Much more than merely telling the history of coins and banknotes, the museum narrates the development and interaction of societies over the centuries, through the exchange of goods and the establishment of political and economic relations.

In the structure of the old vault, the visitor has the opportunity to see and touch a pure 24-carat gold bar, weighing more than 12 kg. Next door, Hermes, the Greek god of trade and exchange, welcomes all visitors. The Money Museum exhibits items such as the first coin from the Western Hemisphere, from the 7th century B.C., minted in Lydia, now Turkey, as well as the first money note from the Eastern Hemisphere, from China, worth the equivalent of a thousand bronze coins. Among Greek, Roman and Japanese coins, the highlight is the "Portuguese", a gold coin produced in the Manueline period, representative of the political and maritime power of the age of discoveries in Portugal, bearing the Cross of the Order of Christ, symbol of Portuguese empire.

Finally, the museum includes, in its basement, preserved remains / ruins of the wall of Dom Dinis ("King Denis I"), built in 1294, which remained buried for centuries. The wall separated the Tagus river from medieval Lisbon and protected the city from potential attacks from the sea.

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