Palácio Baldaya
In Benfica, the eighteenth-century palace restored by the parish council and opened in 2017 as a cultural centre.
Palácio Baldaya – Benfica Parish Council
Palácio Baldaya, on Estrada de Benfica, is today one of the parish's leading cultural venues. In 1783 the site was occupied by the estate of the high-court judge Manoel Ignacio de Moura, who in 1786 was granted the surplus water of the nearby Benfica Fountain; the late eighteenth-century building takes its name from Maria Joana Baldaya, who lived there from 1840 until her death in 1859. In 1867 it passed to her nephew and heir, José Isidoro Escarlate, and, after several owners, it was bought by the State in 1908 with the intention of housing the Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology and Bacteriology. In 2015 Lisbon City Council lent it, under a loan-for-use agreement, to the Benfica Parish Council, which restored the building and opened it as a cultural centre in 2017. Its multipurpose spaces host concerts, exhibitions and other activities, and the palace also houses a library, a toy library, a Qualifica centre, a coworking space in the restored attic, a state room, a café and a box office for shows. The programme changes throughout the year, so it is worth checking the parish council's listings before visiting.
Located at: Junta de Freguesia de Benfica
Address: Estrada de Benfica, 701A, 1500-266 Lisboa
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 09:00-22:00; Sundays and public holidays 09:00-20:00
Phone: +351 212 696 799
Coordinates: 38.7505137, -9.2004412
Buses: 716, 729, 746, 758, 749, 71B, 703, 724, 750, 799
Train: Sintra Line, Benfica Station
Opened: 2017 (9 years)
