ESTAÇÃO ELEVATÓRIA A VAPOR DOS BARBADINHOS - MUSEU DA ÁGUA
Large aqueduct with a large hall transformed into a museum housing four unique steam engines in Europe on the second floor.
At the end of the 1800s, the large aqueduct built to bring water to Lisbon became insufficient. Therefore, a second one was built, a final reservoir, as well as a steam station with the purpose of distributing water throughout the city. The latter was installed in a former Franciscan convent to which it owes its name "barbadinhos", since Italian friars with beards(barba in Portuguese) lived there. The objective was to bring water from the Alviela River to the Penha de França reservoirs. It was in operation from 1880 to 1928; replaced by a new electric station, it was deactivated in 1950. Today, the water company EPAL offers you the opportunity to visit this large hall transformed into a museum. The space alone is impressive. On the second floor, you can admire the four steam engines, unique in Europe and manufactured by a French company E. Windsor & Fils, a rare example in industrial archaeology. A more recent part houses the permanent exhibition of the Museu da Água and invites you to get to know water from several aspects: history, science, technology and environmental sustainability. This museum is one of the four nuclei that make up the Museu da Água (the Aqueduct, the Mãe d'Água Reservoir and the Patriarchal Reservoir), although it is off-center from the others. The nearest metro station is Santa Apolónia, a 10-minute walk away.
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