Campo das Hortas, in Braga
The Image Museum is a museum in Braga dedicated to photography and was opened on April 25, 1999, and is located in Campo das Hortas, next to Arco da Porta Nova, city of Braga, northern Portugal.
Founded in 1999, in one of the towers of the old medieval wall, the Braga Image Museum emerged with the aim of collecting and preserving a visual memory that would allow showing the evolution of photography and the city of Braga. This Museum, which you can visit throughout the year and with free entry, is located in Campo das Hortas, next to Arco da Porta Nova, between doors nº 35 and 37.
The architectural restoration project was carried out by architect Sérgio Borges and was designed to maintain the original structure of the building, making it possible to remove everything inside without damaging the tower of the old wall. With a collection of 210,000 old films, on glass and celluloid plates, and several historic cameras, the Image Museum represents a true paradise for those who enjoy taking photographs or just enjoying good images. The collection of old photographs that the Museum has belonged to Casa Pelicano and Casa Aliança, two large photography houses in Braga, which brought many people to the city to visit the exhibitions and hire photographers for weddings and funerals. Casa Pelicano, founded in 1929, used to exhibit images from the time and related to the city's festivities, being considered the “temple of photography in Braga”. The Museum is under the supervision of the Culture Division of the Municipality of Braga and the exhibitions are planned taking into account the Defense of Braga's Identity. Throughout the year the exhibitions are divided between the presentation of photographs belonging to the archive and works by Portuguese and foreign photographers.
On average, each exhibition remains at the Museum for one to two months and it takes around a week to mount a new exhibition. The inaugurations always take place on Friday or Saturday, around 6 pm, with the presence of the author, a representative of the municipality, the museum management and some guests. The Image Museum receives around 10,000 visitors per year, mostly Portuguese, English and Spanish. In just 30 minutes it is possible to visit the 50 spaces available for exhibition, divided across the 3 floors of the tower, discovering something new about the history and traditions of the city of Braga or a photographer you didn't know about. Numerous exhibitions are shown throughout the year, and it is also one of the stages for Encontros da Imagem, an event dedicated to photography that takes place during the month of September and takes place in several historic buildings, museums and galleries in the city, where different exhibitions are on display, all centered on the theme chosen for the edition. As few people know, the museum has a library that has around three thousand books on photography and image, many of them no longer available for purchase, and almost all offered by Portuguese and foreign photographers. The library and collection of old images are accessible for consultation and digitization, and digitization is free for academic and research purposes. At the top of the Medieval Tower we can find a terrace with a privileged view of the main monuments of the city of Braga: Sé, Arco da Porta Nova, Igreja do Pópulo, Campo das Hortas and Museu dos Biscainhos. From this terrace we can also see the oldest tree recorded in Braga, a tulip tree around 275 years old that can be found in the garden of the Museu dos Biscainhos. On your next visit to the Image Museum, be sure to write in the guest book, which to this day only has very positive testimonies. The Image Museum is a museum in Braga dedicated to photography and was opened on April 25, 1999, and is located in Campo das Hortas, next to Arco da Porta Nova. The property consists of a 19th century building and a 14th century tower of the old medieval wall. Founded in 1999, in one of the towers of the old medieval wall, the Braga Image Museum emerged with the aim of collecting and preserving a visual memory that would allow showing the evolution of photography and the city of Braga. This Museum, which you can visit throughout the year and with free entry, is located in Campo das Hortas, next to Arco da Porta Nova, between doors nº 35 and 37.
The two properties underwent extensive restoration work with a project designed by Architect Sérgio Borges. It is supervised by the Culture Division of the Municipality of Braga, and the idea for its creation resulted from the dynamics raised by Encontros da Imagem, the largest and oldest photography festival in the country. The museum has historic cameras and a vast collection of photographs, in order to highlight the assets inherited from “A Foto Aliança”, one of the oldest photography houses in the city. The museum also holds several temporary exhibitions, especially dedicated to photography. Guided tours are periodically held, in which the public can participate in image workshops. In 2005 he published the book "Braga d'outros tempo", which describes through images the evolution of Braga in the first half of the 20th century.
Founded in 1999, in one of the towers of the old medieval wall, the Braga Image Museum emerged with the aim of collecting and preserving a visual memory that would allow showing the evolution of photography and the city of Braga. This Museum, which you can visit throughout the year and with free entry, is located in Campo das Hortas, next to Arco da Porta Nova, between doors nº 35 and 37.
The architectural restoration project was carried out by architect Sérgio Borges and was designed to maintain the original structure of the building, making it possible to remove everything inside without damaging the tower of the old wall. With a collection of 210,000 old films, on glass and celluloid plates, and several historic cameras, the Image Museum represents a true paradise for those who enjoy taking photographs or just enjoying good images. The collection of old photographs that the Museum has belonged to Casa Pelicano and Casa Aliança, two large photography houses in Braga, which brought many people to the city to visit the exhibitions and hire photographers for weddings and funerals. Casa Pelicano, founded in 1929, used to exhibit images from the time and related to the city's festivities, being considered the “temple of photography in Braga”. The Museum is under the supervision of the Culture Division of the Municipality of Braga and the exhibitions are planned taking into account the Defense of Braga's Identity. Throughout the year the exhibitions are divided between the presentation of photographs belonging to the archive and works by Portuguese and foreign photographers.
On average, each exhibition remains at the Museum for one to two months and it takes around a week to mount a new exhibition. The inaugurations always take place on Friday or Saturday, around 6 pm, with the presence of the author, a representative of the municipality, the museum management and some guests. The Image Museum receives around 10,000 visitors per year, mostly Portuguese, English and Spanish. In just 30 minutes it is possible to visit the 50 spaces available for exhibition, divided across the 3 floors of the tower, discovering something new about the history and traditions of the city of Braga or a photographer you didn't know about. Numerous exhibitions are shown throughout the year, and it is also one of the stages for Encontros da Imagem, an event dedicated to photography that takes place during the month of September and takes place in several historic buildings, museums and galleries in the city, where different exhibitions are on display, all centered on the theme chosen for the edition. As few people know, the museum has a library that has around three thousand books on photography and image, many of them no longer available for purchase, and almost all offered by Portuguese and foreign photographers. The library and collection of old images are accessible for consultation and digitization, and digitization is free for academic and research purposes. At the top of the Medieval Tower we can find a terrace with a privileged view of the main monuments of the city of Braga: Sé, Arco da Porta Nova, Igreja do Pópulo, Campo das Hortas and Museu dos Biscainhos. From this terrace we can also see the oldest tree recorded in Braga, a tulip tree around 275 years old that can be found in the garden of the Museu dos Biscainhos. On your next visit to the Image Museum, be sure to write in the guest book, which to this day only has very positive testimonies. The Image Museum is a museum in Braga dedicated to photography and was opened on April 25, 1999, and is located in Campo das Hortas, next to Arco da Porta Nova. The property consists of a 19th century building and a 14th century tower of the old medieval wall. Founded in 1999, in one of the towers of the old medieval wall, the Braga Image Museum emerged with the aim of collecting and preserving a visual memory that would allow showing the evolution of photography and the city of Braga. This Museum, which you can visit throughout the year and with free entry, is located in Campo das Hortas, next to Arco da Porta Nova, between doors nº 35 and 37.
The two properties underwent extensive restoration work with a project designed by Architect Sérgio Borges. It is supervised by the Culture Division of the Municipality of Braga, and the idea for its creation resulted from the dynamics raised by Encontros da Imagem, the largest and oldest photography festival in the country. The museum has historic cameras and a vast collection of photographs, in order to highlight the assets inherited from “A Foto Aliança”, one of the oldest photography houses in the city. The museum also holds several temporary exhibitions, especially dedicated to photography. Guided tours are periodically held, in which the public can participate in image workshops. In 2005 he published the book "Braga d'outros tempo", which describes through images the evolution of Braga in the first half of the 20th century.
