The Cultural Heritage Board has opened a national classification procedure for the building of the Santos Rocha Municipal Museum, the Pedro Fernandes Tomás Municipal Public Library and the Figueira da Foz Municipal Auditorium.

According to the order published on June 3 in the Diário da República, the building is in the process of being classified, which means that it is already covered by a general protection zone.

A source from Figueira da Foz explained to the Lusa news agency that after the council opened the classification process in 2022 for the property to become a building of municipal interest, the Cultural Heritage department took over the process because it considered it to be of national interest.

Under this category, the Santos Rocha Municipal Museum, Library and Municipal Auditorium could become a Monument of Public Interest or a National Monument.

“The recognition of national interest reinforces the prestige of these facilities and safeguards future intervention processes,” said the same source, stressing that the entry of Cultural Heritage into the classification process represents its “national importance”.

The building was built in 1975 by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, to a design by José Isaías Cardoso, an architect from Figueiredo.



In 1993, the museum was distinguished by the Portuguese Museology Association with the Best Museum of the Year Award and, two decades later, it expanded its activities with the inauguration of the Sea Museum Center in Buarcos and the Salt Museum Center in Lavos.







Source: https://ofigueirense.com
Figueira da Foz