Lisbon - Museu d'Água Manuel da Maia

The history of Lisbon's water supply is documented in a very clear and imaginative way in the city waterworks museum EPAL (Empresa Pública das Águas Livres). Opened in October 1987, the museum - named after the architect of the Aqueduto das Águas Livres - has been assembled in a former pumping station. Four enormous steam engines dating from 1880, which were used for pumping, are kept in a machine room: one of them has been reconditioned and can be seen working in demonstrations.

In the rest of the museum the first water system from Roman times is explained; model figures of water carriers, pictures of old wells, plans of the aqueduct and of the castle surrounded by water, and a water meter dating from 1856 are some of the exhibits. At the end of the exhibition, water quality control, chlorination of Lisbon's water and so on is explained. Its exemplary arrangement earned the Museu d'Água Manuel da Maia the 1990 first prize from the European Museums Council.