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