A museum to help us put our hands dirty – Daily News – Lisbon

Money Museum opens to the public today in Lisbon. Admission is free.

Maria Luisa lives with little more than 450 euros per month of its reform and the husband who has died. “I have to do well the bills,” he says, without complaining, just like anyone who reports a fact of life as it is. Rafael is 15 years old and also noticed that some people have more money and other less: “I try to save the allowance for special things and not spend it all in the school bar.” There is a mother who is alone with the children and is adept at managing the family budget so as to achieve to have a few days off in the summer: “That’s my goal every year.” There is a kid who dreams of video games. And there Carlão, the musician, who acknowledges that there have been times in which he lived more panoramic way and spared not up to much:. “I never had so little money as now and have never been so happy is that cliche, but true: the money alone does not bring happiness. “

These and other testimonies are given to video in almost life-size, one of the last rooms of the money Museum, which opens to the public today in Lisbon. The idea was to ask several people, very different, to speak a little about your relationship with money. It is a delicate matter. There have been times when parents said the children do not talk about money. But nowadays, more and more experts advise parents to explain to young to serve money, how do you should spend and why it is important to save. Having ordinary people talking about the money they have (or not have) is a good way to close the museum visit – after an hour and a half (estimated time of visit) to see notes and coins of all time and all corners of the world, we turn to look at our portfolio to not forget us that money is very real and that has direct implications on our everyday life.

“that was our concern,” confirms Eugénio Gaspar, director of support service of the Bank of Portugal, responsible for this museum. “The collection was begun in 1975 and over the years we’ve collected about 50 thousand pieces, of which 1200 are here exposed to these join some pieces loaned by the National Press -.. Mint The goal is to tell the story money and man’s relationship with money. and we tried it was a very interactive museum in the the visitor is invited to discover and do not limit yourself to just see. “
Stirring, try, see on home

With the opening of the museum concluded that the block of the redevelopment project belonging to the Bank of Portugal, in Baixa, which included the ancient Church of Saint Julian and it was already partially open to public: it was possible to visit part of the D. Dinis wall (discovered during the museum’s works) and also was possible, since may last year, go there move a real gold bar – weighs 12 kilos and could be worth anything as 414,000 euros. But there was everything else. . Are now almost 2,000 square meters of exhibition area, which is accessed through the door of the old vault that held the gold reserves of the country

The museum project of Francisco Providence designer came from a problem: how to expose objects as small as notes and coins without they were crushed by the monumentality of the space? The solution was passed, for example, by using multiple media devices that expand the objects. And put them in transparent displays, which let you see the front and back, and even walk through the money – only you can not touch them but the gems here are many: from the tiny “Third of Estáter” the first western currency, which was used in the kingdom of Lydia in the seventh century BC, the “King Manuel I Portuguese” century XV currency, through the “Morabitino of Sancho II” currency rare gold or to the notes fake produced by Alves dos Reis in the twentieth century. The story is told also using illustrations, charts, scales and other objects

You can not move the notes and coins but there is much to move along the route. At the entrance there is a world map that allows you to discover the currency in several countries and in different centuries, can also throw virtual coins for a “wishing well”, look at the city through a belvedere or check the authenticity of banknotes who has in his pocket.

Using the entry ticket (free, it must be stressed) can access a range of activities, such as answering an interactive quiz, play with coins in interactive whiteboard (the children will love this part), make a coin and a note with a picture of each visitor – and then access all this information (and even print the notes) at home. “You can share on social networks and everything,” said Eugénio Gaspar. “And maybe one day to be able to make 3D printing the currency,” he suggests. Soon, will also be running an audio guide and an app (application) to make the experience of the visit even more appealing. And at the end of each visitor can also let the testimony, video, about your relationship with money.