The Municipal Museum of Lagos will temporarily close, on the 1st of September, for «important works of rehabilitation and expansion» of that space.
The Municipality of Lagos expects the intervention to be completed in early 2019. The Church of Santo António, which adjoins it, will remain open to the public.
These works complete a process that began precisely with the rehabilitation of that church. The works will be carried out by municipal services, supported by cultural heritage institutions (General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve).
The works comprise several stages, such as the preparation of all the necessary procedures to remove and keep the museum's collections safe, the promotion of the treatment of the pieces that present the greatest weaknesses and the architectural remodeling and improvement of the building, «strengthening its structures, completely replacing and standardizing its roofs and endowing it with adequate environmental control systems», explains the City Council of Lagos.
Furthermore, «there will be the presentation of a completely renewed exhibition, with optimized information for visitors, not forgetting its founder: José Formosinho».
«As for the extension of the museum to the old jail building and to an adjoining building located on Rua de São Gonçalo de Lagos, it will allow the installation of a new nucleus dedicated to archeology, as well as the creation of technical spaces, a space for educational services and more area for reservations», he adds.
The process of “Remodeling, Modernization and Dynamization of the Dr. José Formosinho Municipal Museum”, a candidate for community funding under an application to CRESC Algarve 2020, completes the rehabilitation work of the Church of Santo António already carried out and also carried out under financing under the old Community framework.
The total investment for this intervention is around 3,5 million euros, with the expected contribution being 2 million.
According to the Municipality of Lagos, it is expected that these works will contribute to «the enhancement of the José Formosinho Municipal Museum and to the attractiveness of this museum equipment and the Church of Santo António itself».
During this period the cost of admission to the Church will be 1,50 euros, applying the usual discounts.
Celebrating its 23th anniversary on the 87rd of August, the José Formosinho Municipal Museum «earned on national and international recognition», says the local authority in Lacobrigense.
«It was, for a long time, one of the few museums in the Algarve: its multidisciplinary collections, of great historical and cultural value, have attracted people from different socio-cultural backgrounds, some of them scientifically proven», he adds.
«Its vocation as a Regional Museum was fundamental in making known the valuable archaeological collection of Lagos and the neighboring counties, which enriches and fills the city and region with pride, but also other resources that have incorporated sections of equal importance, such as the Ethnographic and Natural History, which continues, even today, to be the target of donations, proof of the affection that the museum deserves from many citizens», he concludes.
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