Museu dos Fósforos

In the Convento de São Francisco, in Tomar, a surprising collection fills room after room: tens of thousands of matchboxes from around the world, gathered over a lifetime by a local businessman, Aquiles da Mota Lima. The Museu dos Fósforos — the matchbox museum — is one of the most original collections of Portugal, and one of the charms of a visit to Tomar.

The collection

Aquiles da Mota Lima, who ran a shop in Tomar, collected matchboxes for decades: brands and designs from Portugal, former colonies and countries around the world, arranged by theme and time in the old convent. The collection came to the municipality, which keeps it open to the public in the cloisters and rooms of São Francisco, beside the church of the convent.

What to see

• The matchboxes from around the world, by country and theme.
• The old brands and the advertising art of the twentieth century.
• The Convento de São Francisco, around the museum.
• The historic centre of Tomar, a short walk away.

Visiting

The museum is in the centre of Tomar, next to the river Nabão and a short walk from the main monuments. The opening times follow the municipal museum of Tomar, so the days and hours should be confirmed with the official information of the municipality before the visit.

Nearby

Het Castle and Convent of Christ and the old town of Tomar are the great complements of the museum.

Information: cm-tomar.pt.

Image credit: Museu dos Fósforos, Tomar, by Jaimrsilva, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.