West Tower

Lisbon Museum – West Tower (Torreão Poente)

At the western end of Praça do Comércio, the Torreão Poente (West Tower) is one of the two towers raised by the Pombaline reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake, heir to two earlier buildings erected in the reigns of King Manuel I and King Philip I in the 16th and 17th centuries. The first crowned, already standing in the waters of the river, the Ribeira Palace commissioned by King Manuel; the second, a free-standing volume presiding over the Terreiro do Paço, survived the Restoration of 1640 but vanished in the earthquake. The Pombaline city gave it form once more, this time doubling it at both ends of the new square. In the following centuries the building housed ministries of the constitutional monarchy and served the Republic, and it was used by various central government bodies connected with the armed forces until 2011. It has been part of the Lisbon Museum since 2015 and is a space devoted to medium-term temporary exhibitions on the city's past and present, with a view over the Tagus. In 2019 the exhibition 'O lugar do Torreão' told the story of the building and presented the project for its future. It is currently temporarily closed for works; in 2026 the practice José Adrião Arquitetos won the public competition held by Lisbon City Council for its refurbishment and adaptation.

Located at: Museu de Lisboa
Address: Praça do Comércio, 1100-083 Lisboa
Opening hours: Temporarily closed for works
Phone: +351 217 513 200
Coordinates: 38.7067711, -9.1372726
Buses: 711, 728, 735, 746, 759, 781, 782, 783, 706, 10B
Tram: 15E, 25E, 12E, 28E
Metro: Terreiro do Paço (Blue), Baixa-Chiado (Blue, Green)
Train: Cascais Line, Cais do Sodré Station, Sintra Line, Rossio Station
Boat: Terreiro do Paço River Station
Opened: 2015 (11 years)