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History of the Museum

A journey through local industry and culture

Learn about the history of the Hat Museum, the evolution of the local industry, and its cultural impact on the community. From its origins as one of the oldest hat factories in the country to its transformation into a space for preserving industrial heritage, the Museum celebrates the ingenuity, creativity, and work of the generations that shaped the identity of S. João da Madeira.

Learn the History

  • Museum Opening

    The origin of the hat museum

    The Hat Museum is overseen by the City Hall of S. João da Madeira. In 1996, the municipality purchased the assets (machines, tools, documents, and so on) of several companies that had closed during those years. The municipality also bought the building of the most important hats company of the city, the Empresa Industrial de Chapelaria (EICHAP) where is nowadays the museum. Over the following ten years, several multidisciplinary teams had developed research projects, most of them financed by the Portuguese Institute of Museums / Portuguese Museums Network and by the Municipality of S. João da Madeira. These studies were the basis of the musealization process of this industry.

  • Museum rehabilitation

    Museum requalification

    The rehabilitation of the building was financed under the Operational Programme for Culture (European funds). The inauguration of the Hat Museum happened in 22 June 2005, attended by the then President of the Republic, Jorge Sampaio, and the Mayor M. Castro Almeida.

    In 2023, the Hat Museum received funding from the Portuguese Network of Museums - ProMuseus - Support Program for Museums, in the area of accessibility and inclusion. The funding allowed the requalification of the permanent exhibition of the Museum, which for this purpose closed to the public for a period of 6 months.

    On January 25, 2025, the Hat Museum reopened to the public. More accessible and inclusive. Even more special.

  • Prize awarded to the museum

    Awards and distinctions

    In 2005, the Hat Museum was distinguished with an Honorable Mention in the Best Portuguese Museum category , by the Portuguese Association of Museology (APOM).

    In 2010, the Hat Museum was awarded with an Honorable Mention in the category of Best Educational Service by the Portuguese Association of Museology (APOM).

    In May 2010, the Hat Museum received its Accreditation by the Portuguese Museums Network , being recognized the quality of the technical, scientific and cultural work of the institution. After this, the museum was integrated in the Portuguese Museums Network.

    In May 2023, the Hat Museum received an Honorable Mention in the Incorporation category, for the donation of more than 70 hats by the creator Luís Stoffel to the Hat Museum, by the Associação Portuguesa de Museologia (APOM).

    In 2023, the Chapelaria Museum received an Honorable Mention in the Incorporation category, for the donation of more than 70 hats by the creator Luís Stoffel to the Chapelaria Museum, by the Associação Portuguesa de Museologia (APOM).

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