The Maritime Museum was created by a decree from July 22, 1963, enacted by King Luís of Portugal. The father of this monarch, king-consort Fernando II, was quite interested in cultural issues, and certainly passed it on to his children. His eldest son, King Pedro V, was very keen of culture and art during his short reign. Prince Luís, as the second son, followed a career as a Navy Officer. However, the sudden death of his brother forced him to abandon his career in the Navy, becoming the new King of Portugal. His knowledge of naval issues as well as his fondness for culture and art explain the foundation of the Maritime Museum during his reign.
The museum was installed near the Naval Academy where it would serve, mainly, for didactic purposes. The original collection was comprised of ship models from the Ajuda Palace that Queen Maria II had donated to the Academia Real de Guardas-marinhas (Royal Academy for Midshipmen), as well as other objects from the Naval Academy that were no longer in use.
On April 18, 1916, a fire went off in the Sala do Risco. The fire consumed a large number of objects from the Museum´s collections. The Museum remained in operation at the Naval Academy, exhibiting what was left of its collection. During this time, its designation changed several times. In 1934 it was named Portuguese Naval Museum and continued to be a part of the Naval Academy. The first known reference of the intention of moving the museum to the Jerónimos Monastery dates from this time.
In 1936 the Naval Academy was moved to the Alfeite Naval Base, on the south bank of the Tagus estuary. This marked the museum’s separation from the Naval Academy. The museum remained in the Sala do Risco. Its director was Commander Henrique Quirino da Fonseca, who served as director of the Portuguese Navy’s Library as well.
In 1948 the Museum received a significant donation, namely the collection belonging to Henrique Maufroy de Seixas. Passionate about the sea and all things related to it, Seixas had amassed, over a period of more than thirty years, a veritable naval museum in his house. He had a large team of model makers, who drew up the plans of vessels and used these plans to construct models. Later, some of these model makers were employed in the Maritime Museum’s workshop. Besides models, his collection was also composed of other objects, as well as a vast collection of photographs, comprised of approximately 20,000 photographic plates.
This donation meant a location change for the Museum. According to Seixas’ wishes, the collection should be displayed in a location consistent with its dimension and importance. The search for a new location in Lisbon commenced. On April 1949, following a government donation, the Maritime Museum was re-opened in the Palace of the Count of Farrobo, in Laranjeiras, a neighborhood in the outskirts of Lisbon, where it exhibited its collection, now enriched with the Seixas contribution.
However, this was a temporary location, and in 1954 and 1956, committees were appointed to study the possibility of permanently transferring the Museum’s collections to the Jerónimos Monastery. In 1959, a legislative amendment was enacted, which implied the reorganization of the museum. At that time, the museum received its current denomination - Maritime Museum.
Finally, on August 15, 1962 the museum’s new premises at the Jerónimos Monastery were inaugurated. Admiral Américo Tomás, first as Minister of the Navy and later as President of the Republic, was of crucial importance to this location change.
As a maritime museum and not only a naval museum, the Maritime Museum tries to show maritime life in its broadest sense, portraying various aspects: military, commerce, fishing and recreation. Despite having older objects, some dating from the Roman Period, the museum’s exhibition essentially starts in the golden period of the Portuguese Discoveries, between the fifteenth and the sixteenth centuries. From that point onwards, the museum narrates the relationship of the Portuguese with the Sea. The objects that help tell this story are quite varied: models of royal ships and boats, paintings and engravings, medals and weapons, nautical charts and navigation instruments, photographs and diplomas, among many others.