The Mude- Museum of Design gets a makeover in 2024
The revival of an original museum
Mude, the Design Museum, is an original concept located in the heart of Lisbon. The museum reopened in summer 2024 after years of renovation work.
MUDE, a municipal museum, was opened at the turn of the century with a raw, industrial feel, and the concept, which was surprising at the time, proved very popular.
As the years went by, those in charge realised that the 2-century-old building was suffering. Its structures were weakened and it urgently needed to be brought up to standard to welcome the public.
After eight years of restoration projects and work – the first contractor having gone bankrupt – MUDE still has its unfinished appearance.
An approach that highlights the history of the building discovered by www.lisbonne-affinités.com
A contemporary museum that the Baixa has been missing
The Baixa is the district of the city centre that goes by the name of ‘bas’, the only district in Lisbon without any relief.
It was built by the Marquis of Pombal after the 1755 earthquake that devastated the capital.
MUDE is made up of several buildings dating from the city’s reconstruction, and in fact covers an entire district of the Baixa, with a gross surface area of 14,000 m2 .
The building used to be the Banque d’Outre-mer (Overseas Bank), and the architecture is marked by this use. The renovation project has preserved what could be preserved from that period.
However, in the minds of the museum’s management, it was clear that the building’s banking past would be preserved.
At the same time, a huge amount of work had to be done on the structures. Starting with the windows. A metal skeleton runs horizontally and vertically through the building’s 300 windows of varying sizes.
A history book open to current events
MUDE is a history book. And the references are clearly visible
For example, the magnificent reception desk, a long marble snake that belonged to the BNU and was saved at the last minute.
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The modernist paintings that were commissioned when alterations were made in the 40s and 50s once again decorate the walls of the former bank’s grandiose hall.
Concrete beams and piles are visible everywhere.
But you can also visit the corridor decorated with azulejos (earthenware tiles), which gives you a glimpse of the Empire-style room of the former bank.
MUDE’s new features to seduce and convince.
There are now 8 floors open to the public. The top floor is a terrace overlooking the rooftops of Baixa, the São Jorge Castle. The former BNU managers’ bar has been transformed into a restaurant.
In addition, the old auditorium has been completely rebuilt and its adjacent cafeteria is brand new. The library/reading room, housed in what was once the bank’s directors’ meeting room, is warm, elegant and sober.
Finally, a quick tour of the building’s ground floor is a must: the BNU’s old vaults have been preserved. The space is also used for exhibitions. Here you can see the glass bottles twisted by the fire that ravaged Lisbon during the earthquake of 1755.
They too testify to the history of the building.
An informed MUDE
The Mude is 7 collections and thousands of objects. Design, fashion, furniture, architecture, jewellery, decor… the areas of exhibition and reflection are vast.
The MUDE is a municipal museum. Temporary exhibitions to discover the treasures of the museological collection are a feature of this magnificent museum.
A restaurant will also be opening on the top floor of the building. From its terrace, you can admire the rua Augusta arch as well as the São Jorge castle.
MUDE- Design Museum
Rua Augusta, 24
1100-053 Lisboa
Tel: (+351) 218 171 892
Email: mude@cm-lisboa.pt