National Coach Museum

The National Coach Museum (in portuguese, Museu Nacional dos Coches) opened for the first time on the May 23^rd, 1905, driven by the will of the queen D. Amélia d'Orleães e de Bragança, with the designation of Museu dos Coches Reaes. Only in 1911, after the Establishment of the Republic, it got the name of Museu Nacional dos Coches.

In the beginning, the museum was located exclusively at the Picadeiro Real do Palácio Real de Belém. Currently, the palace is the official residence of the Presidents of the Portuguese Republic.

On the February 1^st, 2010, began the construction of a new building which was meant to host the collection of the National Coach Museum, having been inaugurated on the 110^th anniversary of the opening of the Picadeiro Real. With 15.177 square meters, it was created to house the permanent and temporary exhibitions, possessing on the ground floor a Workshop for Conservation and Restoration that grants the high quality standards concerning the vehicles conservation and works as a formation center of specialized work.

The permanent collection of the new facilities has tens of vehicles and comprises a chronological window which illustrates the evolution of the vehicles powered by animal traction between the centuries 16^th and 19^th. The Picadeiro Real continues to serve as a visitable center of the National Coach Museum.