Museums in Salvador are one of the tourist attractions and offer several entertainment options in Salvador, in addition to an unmissable collection in Salvador.

The spaces offer the public the opportunity to get to know part of the history and culture of Bahia and Brazil, through a tour of the museums in the Bahian capital.

With different proposals, museums and other public spaces in the capital of Bahia keep varied collections such as paintings, sculptures, photographs, poems, masks, musical instruments and other artistic manifestations that reveal the identity of the people of the land.

Museums in Salvador are some of the leisure options for both tourists and Bahians.

With different proposals, museums and other public spaces in the capital of Bahia keep varied collections such as paintings, sculptures, photographs, poems, masks, musical instruments and other artistic manifestations that reveal the identity of the people of the land.

Videos about museums in Salvador da Bahia

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Get to know in detail the Museums of Salvador

1. Geographical and Historical Institute of Bahia
2. Salvador Chamber Memorial
3. Governors' Memorial
4. Sister Dulce Memorial
5. Terreiro de Jesus Afro-Brazilian Museum
6. Museum of Modern Art of Bahia
7. Museum of Sacred Art
8. Carlos Costa Pinto Museum
9. Benin House Museum
10. City Museum
11. Museum of Science and Technology
12. São Bento Monastery Museum
13. Nautical Museum
14. Santa Casa de Misericórdia Museum or Misericórdia Museum
15. Abelardo Rodrigues Museum
16. Museum of the Palace of the Aclamation
17. Basilica Cathedral Museum
18. Henriqueta Catharino Museum of Ancient and Popular Art
19. Ilê Ohun Lailai Museum (Ilê Axé Opô Afonjá)
20. Eugênio Teixeira de Leal Museum or Banco Econômico Memorial
21. Bahia Geological Museum
22. São Bento Museum
23. Tempostal Museum
24. Portas do Carmo Museum
25. Museum of Art of Bahia
26. Fort de Monte Serrat Armory Museum
27. Estacio de Lima Anthropological Museum
28. Museum of the Santa Casa de Misericórdia
29. Udo Knoff Ceramics and Tiles Museum
30. Museum of Former Vows of Senhor do Bonfim
31. Museum of the Third Order of San Francisco
32. Nativity Museum
33. Ufba Museum of Archeology and Ethnology
34. Erotic Museum
35. Palace of Arts
36. Public ride
37. Manor do Ferrão
38. Music City of Bahia
39. Memorial of the Baianas of Acarajé

1. Geographical and Historical Institute of Bahia

Avenida Sete de Setembro, 94A, Piedade

www.ighb.org.br

The space houses some treasures of Bahian history.

Founded on May 13, 1894, the oldest cultural entity in the state is also known as the “Casa da Bahia”. It is one of 15 institutions supported by the Continued Actions for Cultural Institutions program, an initiative of the Department of Culture of the State of Bahia (SecultBA) through the Bahia Culture Fund (FCBA).

The Institute has the largest collection of newspapers, dating from the 417th century to the present, in addition to the largest cartographic collection in the State, which allows society to know the origin of the current XNUMX municipalities in Bahia.

At the Ruy Barbosa Library, around 30 titles, including rare works, are available to researchers and other interested parties. The titles are available in online registration through the website www.ighb.org.br.

The same happens at the Theodoro Sampaio Archive, which gathers and preserves private collections, such as Theodoro Fernandes Sampaio, Brás do Amaral and Hildegardes Viana, and precious items, such as the poetry manuscripts of Antônio de Castro Alves and letters of Antônio Conselheiro.

When visiting the institution's facilities, it is possible to see in its Museum an important collection of portraits, as well as bronze sculptures, period furniture and religious pieces of African culture in Bahia.

The IGHB is the guardian of the 2 de Julho Pavilion, in Largo da Lapinha, where the two main symbols of the biggest civic festival in the country are located: the Caboclo and the Cabocla; icons of popular participation in the struggles for independence in Bahia.

2. Memorial of the Camara de Salvador

Tome de Souza Square, Center

www.cms.ba.gov.br/memorial

Building of remarkable architectural merit developed around the small courtyard.

The main façade is formed by arcades resting on Tuscan columns superimposed by pulpit windows and a small vertical tower covered with half an orange. Over the cover there is an oval tombstone.

This building with its tower served as a model for other town halls such as those in Santo Amaro and Maragogipe (XNUMXth century).

Chronology - Historical Context

• 1550 – Luis Dias built a mud house, covered with straw.
• 1660 – It is rebuilt by the governor Francisco Barreto de Menezes, with the current appearance without the tower.
• 1698 – It is reformed by the governor D. João de Lencastro, who ordered the construction of the tower, audience house, secret rooms and enxovias (underground jails).
• 1733 – In the audience room, the carpenter José de Miranda Ribeiro made a new ceiling.
• 1734 – There is a record of payment to the painter Antônio Simões Ribeiro. This master painted the weapons of the City of Salvador (a pigeon in flight, with an olive branch in its beak), in the middle of the lining of the councilors' room in the cars with blue and red lines on a white background.
• 1795 – Governor D. Fernando José of Portugal created a public jail, an internal infirmary and a closed room.
• 1887 – In neoclassical fashion, the Palace is renovated, with the main façade covered in Renaissance decoration with windows ending with alternating rectilinear and curved pediments. The old tower covered with half an orange is replaced by a turret and the bell by a clock.
• 1894 – During the administration of President Freire Filho, the installation of marble in the vestibule was completed, placing handrails on the access stairs to the assembly room and laying steps, also in white marble, on the descent to the internal courtyard, transformed into a flowery garden. pavements with pebbles rolled in cement mortar.
• 1970 – Completion of the external restoration, as determined by the then Mayor Antonio Carlos Magalhães, thus returning to its original colonial style. At that time, the city hall also functioned in the Paço.
• 1997 – The plenary of the Chamber is restored, under the presidency of councilor Gilberto José.
• 2001 – Inauguration of the Memorial.
• 2006 – Restoration and rescue of the paintings in the presidency's Salão Nobre, under councilor Valdenor Cardoso's administration.

It gathers documents, furniture and paintings that help to tell the history and importance of the Municipal Chamber of Salvador.

Public and non-profit museum under the responsibility of this Legislative House, it is dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of the historical and cultural memory of the institution, as well as the city of Salvador, through its documental, iconographic and furniture collection.

On December 29, 2010, the Memorial was reopened with a work to revitalize its space, whose project and works highlighted:

1. Visualization of the building's basement, where the exovias (underground prisons) functioned;
2. Archaeological materials mined in excavations;
3. Original paintings on the support columns, from the beginning of the XNUMXth century, using Escariole technique;
4. Architectural beauty of the floor support timbers;
5. Revitalization of the existing collection within a modern layout.

The initial nucleus of the Memorial was the Pinacoteca do Paço Municipal, composed mostly of portraits of historical personalities from Salvador, painted by renowned artists such as: Lopes Rodrigues, Presciliano Silva, Alberto Valença, Victor Meireles, Henrique Passos, Carlos Bastos and Floriano Teixeira.

In addition to the portraits, the collection also includes some examples of XNUMXth century furniture, a silver urn brought from Portugal, medals and decorations, archaeological finds, photographs and replicas of indigenous ceramics donated by the Bahia Ceramics Association.

The Salvador City Hall Memorial is a space aimed at different audiences. Its mission is to contribute to bringing the population closer to the city's historical heritage and cultural memory, through actions that highlight the importance of Salvador and its municipal power in the context of Brazilian history.

3. Governors' Memorial

Tome de Souza Square, Center

www.fpc.ba.gov.br

Created in 1986 at Palacio Rio Branco, it is a tribute to the governors of Bahia, with numerous records on the political history of the state, in addition to objects, documents and paintings.

The composition of the collection of the Memorial of Republican Governors of Bahia is eclectic, with approximately 2.000 artifacts/documents. The collection includes personal objects, newspapers, books, uniforms, titles, medals and honors.

The collection is classified into representative sub-collections, based on the functionality/specificity of the pieces: personal objects; badges; Communication; interiors; pecuniary objects; visual arts.

Currently, the long-term exhibition is divided into two periods: Old Republic and New Republic, in 17 windows displaying various pieces, objects, artifacts and documents.

The Memorial dos Governadores Republicanos da Bahia houses collections made from the donation of objects and documents from private, everyday, professional and governmental life that belonged to the Governors of the State of Bahia.

These goods contain thoughts, actions, desires, interests, which express the complexity through which history materializes.

The Memorial Collection includes a collection of 47 hand-painted portraits of republican governors.

The collection of the Memorial of Republican Governors of Bahia enables the preservation of our memory and allows visitors, researchers and the curious to know the backstage of political, economic, social and cultural daily life, of periods that contributed to the formation and reflection of current society, from a very specific perspective: from the office of governors.

Open Monday to Friday, 8am to 12pm and 14pm to 18pm.

4. Sister Dulce Memorial

Avenida Bonfim, 161, Rome

www.irmadulce.org.br

Opened in 1993, a year after the nun's death, the address preserves the room where she lived intact. Among the objects on display, Sister Dulce's habits, photographs and the chair where she slept for 30 years on account of a promise.

It can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday, between 10 am and 17 pm.

5. Afro-Brazilian Museum Terreiro de Jesus

Building of the former Faculty of Medicine

Art pieces and objects related to African culture and history. Opened in 1982 and restructured in 1997, it exhibits pieces of furniture, paintings and everyday utensils in several rooms.

Afro-Brazilian Museum has sculptures, masks, fabrics, ceramics, ornaments and musical instruments.

These and other objects coming directly from African countries and linked to the daily life of its people are part of the collection.

The museum also brings together objects of Brazilian origin related to the Afro-Brazilian religion.

Highlight for the 27 panels of orixás in cedar wood by the artist Carybé, one of the most important collections of Brazilian contemporary art.

Collection: Pieces of African and Afro-Brazilian culture.

Visits from Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 18 pm; Saturdays and Sundays, from 10 am to 17 pm.

6. Museum of Modern Art of Bahia

Avenida Contorno, s/n

www.mam.ba.gov.br

Founded in 1960, it was installed at Solar do Unhão in 1966.

Installed in Solar da Unhão, the space hosts exhibitions of renowned works by national artists: Paintings, engravings, photographs, drawings and sculptures by names such as Tarsila do Amaral, Portinari, Flávio de Carvalho, Di Cavalcanti, Rubem Valentim, Pancetti, Carybé, Mário Carnation, Sante Scaldaferri and others.

It also hosts workshops, courses and events that value Brazilian modern art.

Open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 13pm to 19pm.

7. Museum of Sacred Art

Rua do Sodre, 276, Center

www.mas.ufba.br

Created by the Federal University of Bahia and installed in the Convent of Santa Teresa de Avila, where it has been operating since 1959, the Museum of Sacred Art preserves valuable images of saints in wood, clay, stone and ivory, in addition to various other artistic representations, such as paintings, tiles and sculptures with sacred themes.

Collection: Baroque objects in wood, soapstone, clay and ivory; goldsmithery, paintings on tiles from the XNUMXth century. XVII, XVIII and XIX, and collections of Bahian artists.

Visits from Monday to Friday, from 11:30 am to 17:30 pm. 

Veja History of the Convent and Church of Santa Teresa or Museum of Sacred Art UFBa in Salvador BA

8. Carlos Costa Pinto Museum

Avenida Sete de Setembro, 2.490

www.museucostapinto.com.br

Installed in the former residence of Carlos Costa Pinto, the museum recounts the history of art in the colonial period with a collection that belonged to large families of the sugar aristocracy.

Carlos Costa Pinto Museum was created in 1969. It develops cultural programming, with lectures, seminars, exhibitions and art workshops. It has a library and a souvenir shop.

Collection: 3172 pieces from the XNUMXth, XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, including silver, jewelry, furniture, crystal, porcelain, plastic art and small decorative objects.

Location: Av. Seventh of September, 2.490, Corridor of Victory

Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2:4h to 6:14h, Saturday and Sunday from 30:19h to 00:15h. Closed on Tuesdays and national and state holidays.

9. Museum of the House of Benin

Rua Padre Agostinho, 17

Inaugurated in 1988, Casa do Benin resulted from the exchange maintained between Bahia and the African country Benin, through the city of Cotonou.

After a renovation carried out by the architect Lina Bo Bardi – who maintained the external lines of the secular houses, but modernized the spaces – the house houses a rich collection of objects and works of art from the region of the Gulf of Benin, where most blacks came from. that populated the Recôncavo Baiano.

Most of the collection was collected by the French anthropologist and photographer Pierre Verger on his journeys across the African continent. The space also houses temporary exhibitions and artistic workshops.

Open from Monday to Friday, from 12:18 to XNUMX:XNUMX.

10. City Museum

Praça José de Alencar, 3, Pelourinho

The Museu da Cidade is a historical museum located in Largo do Pelourinho in Salvador in the state of Bahia.

The Museum tells the city's history and contains a huge variety of ancient and modern, sacred and profane.

Exhibits include Candomblé orixá costumes, the personal belongings of the poet Castro Alves (author of O Navio Negreiro and one of the first public figures to protest against slavery) and traditional rag dolls enacting everyday colonial life, as well as paintings and sculptures.

Collection: Orixás, rag dolls, photos, rosaries, sacred images, Bahian costumes, tapestries, ceramics, personal use pieces by the poet Castro Alves and a gallery.

Visits from Monday to Friday, from 12:18 to XNUMX:XNUMX. 

11. Science and Technology Museum

Avenida Jorge Amado, s/n

Exhibition of experiments and machines, many of them used in everyday life but never seen how they work from the inside. Unmissable program for families with children.

It is open Monday to Friday, from 8:30 am to 11:30 am and from 14:30 pm to 17:30 pm.

12. Museum of the Monastery of São Bento

Avenida Sete de Setembro, 1, Largo Sao Bento

www.saobento.org

In more than 400 years of history, the monastery of St. benedict hosts important records of sacred art in Brazil. The collection has rare pieces from the 16th to the 20th centuries, including images, paintings and religious objects.

Visits from Monday to Friday, between 9 am and 11:30 am and from 13 pm to 16:30 pm. 

13. Nautical Museum

Largo do Farol da Barra, s/n, Porte Santo Antonio da Barra, Barra

O Bahia Nautical Museum, installed on the Santo Antônio da Barra Fort, the famous Farol da Barra, the oldest military building in Brazil, dating from 1534 (even before the construction of Salvador), allows direct contact with Portuguese-Brazilian maritime history, through a valuable collection of underwater archaeological finds, instruments of navigation and nautical signaling, different types of ships, caravels, galleons and vessels and a lot of information and curiosities about the history of the discovery of Brazil and the role of Salvador within it.

all in Bahia Nautical Museum It is very interesting, well maintained, cataloged and organized, in short, an excellent museum and one of the most important in Salvador and Brazil! Pure history! A must visit for all ages.

There is a good part of the documentation related to the shipwrecks that occurred off the coast of Salvador in historical times.

Collection: Maps, navigation equipment, models of old ships and caravels and findings of Galeão Sacramento, shipwrecked in the Bay of All Saints.

Objects found on a warship sunk in Rio Vermelho in 1668 are displayed along with miniatures of important ships from the history of Brazil, as well as old maps and navigation instruments.

Open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 11:30 am and 14:30 pm to 17:30 pm. Tickets at R$ 6 and R$ 3 (students); free for children under 9 years old.

14. Santa Casa de Misericórdia Museum or Museum of Mercy

Avenida Joana Angelica, 79

Tiles, silverware, furniture, paintings and documents are part of the collection, built over the 450 years of history of Santa Casa de Salvador, totaling more than 1.800 pieces.

Anyone passing in front of the imposing XNUMXth-century palace, located between Praça Municipal and Praça da Cruz Caída, might not imagine that those walls guard an expressive part of the history of Bahia and Brazil.

In each of the halls and halls of the Museum of Mercy, full of panels, screens, implements, imagery and furniture, there is something that recounts health, political and social events in the city of Salvador.

Sandra Coelho, from Santa Catarina, reveals the pleasant surprise she had when she decided to visit the museum at the last minute. “I had no intention of meeting him, but it was very worth it. Exceptional!” he says.

Cultural space of Santa Casa da Bahia, the Misericórdia Museum was founded in 2006. The place once housed the Hospital da Caridade, the first health unit in the state, whose history begins in the same year that the Bahian capital was born, in 1549.

The history of the hospital and the subsequent social assistance and education activities implemented at the site by Santa Casa over the centuries are registered in the Misericórdia Museum.

The collection, made up of over 3 cataloged pieces, contextualizes a nearly 500-year-old historical narrative.

Highlights include the tiles from 1712 that reproduce the Fogaréu Procession, which the Irmandade da Santa Casa da Bahia held on the night of Holy Thursday, as well as the Pharmacy, a cabinet from 1867, built exclusively to store bottles with pharmaceutical substances from the Hospital da Charity.

The Misericórdia Museum also has the first gasoline-powered car in Bahia and the oldest on display in Brazil.

“The pieces reflect a way of thinking, habits and customs of a Brazil and Bahia of yesteryear, which allows us to carry out sociocultural and educational actions aimed at different audiences. Everything in this museum speaks, everything in this museum tells a story.

Everything here reflects a little of who we are and strengthens our cultural identity”, says Osvaldina Cezar, museologist at the Misericórdia Museum.

Field of many academic researches, the cultural space also has a room with paintings by the baroque painter José Joaquim da Rocha that portray the Passion of Christ and the Loggia, architectural space of European characteristics with a rich work of embrechado in four types of marble, the which granted the Museu da Misericórdia the status of the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN) in 1938.

A replica of the first Roda dos Expostos in Brazil, implemented by Santa Casa da Bahia in 1734, also makes up the secular collection.

Some works are also related to historical personalities such as the chair made exclusively for the visit of D. Pedro II, in 1859, and the desk of Ruy Barbosa, who was an employee of the Santa Casa da Bahia.

Locals from Bahia and tourists accumulate praise on tourism websites, about the state of conservation of the space, the beauty of the pieces and the quality of the guided tour, which earns the Museu da Misericórdia annual certifications.

“The tour is very interesting and rich in details about the history of Salvador and our country. It's really worth taking the time to get to know him”, says Cláudia Vasconcellos from Rio de Janeiro.

A resident of Salvador, Wania Costa intends to return to the Museum and highlights the artistic and historical value of the space. “Inside these walls, there are works from floor to ceiling. Each room visited has its own soul. Also, the monitors are very kind and competent. The ticket price does not pay so much beauty”, he says.

15. Abelardo Rodrigues Museum

Abelardo Rodrigues Museum and a world reference in Portuguese Baroque art, it houses a rich collection of erudite and popular sacred art from Brazil from the XNUMXth to the XNUMXth century, which belonged to Pernambuco collector Abelardo Rodrigues.

The works are exhibited on the main floor of the Solar Ferrão, a valuable building from the colonial period. The collection contains 800 images of saints, in addition to paintings, oratories, altars, crucifixes and carved fragments.

Location: Rua Gregório de Matos, 45, Pelourinho

Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday from 3:6h to 9:00h and Saturday and Sunday from 18:00h to 10:00h.

16. Museum of the Acclamation Palace

Museu do Palácio da Aclamação is a former official residence of the governors, the building is an example of the beautiful architecture of the late nineteenth century.

It brings together framed panels, garlands, bows and medallions painted by Presciliano Silva, as well as furniture in the D. José and Luís XV styles, porcelain, crystals, bronzes, Persian and French rugs.

Collection: Furniture, paintings, bedspreads, decorative objects, cupolas and chandeliers.

Location: Av. Sete de Setembro, 1.330, Passeio Público, Campo Grande

17. Museum of the Cathedral Basilica

Museum of cathedral basilica It has in its interior, died, in 1697, Father Antonio Vieira, known for his sermons. The current construction is the fourth since the XNUMXth century, on the same land as the former Igreja do Colégio dos Jesuítas.

The architectural changes generated a mixture of styles in the two towers, predominantly baroque and neoclassical. The diversity is also in the type of material used in the interior: marble, gold, tortoise ivory and rosewood.

There is also a museum in the building, where the image of Our Lady of Lucas and a collection of pieces in gold and silver stand out.

Location: Praça 15 de Novembro, s/nº, Terreiro de Jesus, Historic Center

Opening: Monday to Sat. from 2:8h to 00:11h and from 30:13h to 30:17h.

18. Henriqueta Catharino Museum of Ancient and Popular Art

Henriqueta Catharino Museum of Ancient and Popular Art was founded in 1938. Its collection includes pieces of furniture, sacred art, engraving, dressing room, Portuguese and Northeastern crafts.

Collection: Rosewood furniture, garments, including the train and skirt used by Princess Isabel when she signed the Lei Áurea; the skullcap of Pope Pius X and sacred images.

Location: Rua Monsenhor Floriano, 2, Instituto Feminino da Bahia, Politeama

Opening: Tuesday to Sat. from 3:14h to 00:18h.

19. Ilê Ohun Lailai Museum (Ilê Axé Opô Afonjá)

Ilê Ohun Lailai Museum is considered a national heritage by IPHAN, the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute, the Ilê Axé Opô Afonjá terreiro is one of the oldest Candomblé houses in Bahia.

The exhibition collection comprises more than 750 works, which are part of the centenary history of the terreiro. 

Location: Rua Direita do Gonçalo, 557, São Gonçalo do Retiro

20. Eugênio Teixeira de Leal Museum or Banco Econômico Memorial

Eugênio Teixeira de Leal Museum shows the history of money and houses a library on the social, economic, political and cultural history of Bahia.

Collection: About 5.000 pieces, including coins, medals and national and foreign decorations, furniture, painting, plaques and trophies, documents, photographs, cassette tapes and videos.

Location: Rua J. Castro Rabello, 1, Pelourinho

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 2:6h to 9:00h and 12:00h to 13:00h.

21. Geological Museum of Bahia

The Geological Museum of Bahia has a collection of quartz, the main mineral exported in Bahia, gives a special charm to the space, which has a collection of 2.500 samples of crystals, granites, mahogany, rocks, fossils, in addition to rich documentation on mining.

An exclusive space tells the story of the oil industry in Brazil, with photos and panels. A highlight is the Bendegó meteorite, which fell on Bahian soil in 1784. In the same building as the museum, there are a library specialized in geology and an art cinema.

Collection: Rocks, fossils and precious stones.

Location: Av. Seventh of September, 2.195, Corridor of Victory

Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday from 3:6h to 13:30h and Saturday and Sunday from 18:30h to 14:00h.

22. São Bento Museum

São Bento Museum and an oasis of silence and introspection in the old commercial center of Salvador.

The construction of the building dates from 1581, with a project by Friar Macário de São João, but the works were only completed in the XNUMXth century.

It was the first monastery in America. The images of Nossa Senhora das Angústias and Senhor Morto draw attention.

Also noteworthy is the attached museum, with a gigantic and rare library (with around 300 thousand copies), paintings and sculptures, fine crafts from the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries and works by Friar Agostinho de Jesus, Teófilo de Jesus and José Joaquim da Rocha.

On Sunday mornings, the celebration is accompanied by Gregorian chants by the Benedictine monks of the monastery.

Collection: Religious art pieces from the XNUMXth, XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries.

Location: Av. Sete de Setembro, 1, Largo de São Bento, Center

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 2:6h to 9:00h and from 11:30h to 13:00h.

23. Tempostal Museum

The museum tells the story of Salvador, other places in Bahia and Brazil, in photographs, postcards and stamps, which form a collection much sought after by researchers and scholars.

Most of the pieces are by collector Antônio Marcelino do Nascimento, dating from the late nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries.

The collection is extensive, part of it is distributed over the walls and rooms of the museum, while another is available for consultation.

Highlights include urban prints by Salvador da Belle Époque and cards adorned with gemstones and feathers.

Location: Rua Gregório de Matos, 33, Pelourinho

Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday from 3:6h to 9:00h and Saturday and Sunday from 18:00h to 10:00h. Except holidays.

24. Portas do Carmo Museum

The Museu das Portas do Carmo is actually part of a thick wall foundation found in Largo do Pelourinho during the restoration work in 1973, where the first buildings in Salvador were built.

In addition to its own installation, the history of colonial Brazil is told through the collection with weapons, cannons, flags and documentary testimonies of the time.

Collection: Part of the wall that protected the City, cannons, weapons and flags.

Location: Praça José de Alencar, 13/19, Historic Center, Senac Restaurant Building

25. Bahia Art Museum

Bahia Museum of Art is the oldest museum in the state. Founded in 1918.

The museum, created in 1918 in the building attached to the Public Archive, was transferred in 1982 to its current headquarters.

The collection consists of around 13 thousand pieces acquired over time.

Highlight for the collections of paintings by Councilor Jonatas Abbott, from the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, of Italian, French, Flemish and Dutch origin, which includes the painting by the Caravaggio School “David with the Head of Goliath”, and by Francisco Marques by Goés Calmon, which brings together important sets of decorative arts, notably oriental porcelain.

The Bahian painters Presciliano Silva, Alberto Valença and Mendonça Filho are also represented at the MAB.

Collection: Paintings, XNUMXth century furniture. XVIII and XIX, glass objects, crystals, tapestry, Chinese porcelain, jewelry, canvases and sacred pieces.

Location: Av. September 7, 2.340, Victoria.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday from 3:6h to 14:00h and Saturday and Sunday from 19:00h to 14:30h. Except holidays.

See also other features Museu de Arte da Bahia is the oldest museum in Salvador

26. Museum of the Armory of the Fort of Monte Serrat

Armory Museum is installed in the Monte Serrat Fort, one of the best executed military works of the colonial period, its collection consists of a collection of army weapons from the XNUMXth century to the present day.

The Fort of Nossa Senhora de Monte Serrat belonged to the Army and, today, is seen by many as the most beautiful military construction of the Brazilian colonial period.

It began to be built in 1583, in a strategic position at the top of the most advanced point of the peninsula and overlooking the city's port.

Completed in 1742, it remains as a command house flanked by the walls of round bastions, with nine cannons.

Its history saw resistance to the Dutch and the death of the commander, in 1624, by Brazilian soldiers during a visit by Governor Van Dorth to the fort.

Since 1993, it has housed the Armory Museum, with civil and military weapons, light and medium, some used by the Army in the past. on the other, the Island of Itaparica.

The place is constantly visited not only for its museum, but also for being in a privileged location, where it is possible to see the entire Baía de Todos os Santos and the Island of Itaparica.

Collection: Civil and military armaments

Location: Largo da Boa Viagem s/n, Boa Viagem

27. Estacio de Lima Anthropological Museum

The Estácio de Lima Anthropological Museum is also known as the Nina Rodrigues Museum because it is located in the Institute building, which bears the same name.

The collection consists of pieces for anthropological studies on black culture – such as objects used in liturgical rituals – indigenous and from the Cangaço culture, specifically about the band of Lampião.

In addition to pieces from the technical, criminal and legal medicine police.

Collection: Legal medicine, indigenous parts, cangaceirismo (weapons, personal effects of Lampião and Antônio Conselheiro), PF weapons and toxic samples.

Location: Av. Centenary, Nina Rodrigues Legal Medical Institute Building, Vale dos Barris

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 2:6h to 8:30h and from 11:30h to 13:30h. Except holidays.

28. Museum of the Santa Casa de Misericórdia

Museu da Santa Casa de Misericórdia and one of the newest museums in Bahia, houses several works from the XNUMXth to the XNUMXth centuries, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, tools and imagery.

It works in the Santa Casa da Misericórdia space, the oldest in the country, and rescues a good part of the urban evolution of the city of Salvador.

A novelty: in 2008, the museum opened a new wing, whose focus is the relationship between Santa Casa and Bahian society.

Collection: Portuguese tile panels from the century. XNUMXth century and XNUMXth century furniture.

Location: Rua da Misericórdia, 6, Sé

29. Museum of Tiles and Ceramics Udo Knoff

Udo Knoff Tiles and Ceramics Museum brings together a valuable collection with 1.200 pieces of tiles and ceramics signed by the German ceramist Udo Knoff and others collected by him.

The museum has two environments. On the ground floor, the exhibition “Tilework in Bahia” brings together materials related to the art of ceramics and tiles.

On the first floor is the exhibition “Art and Tiles”, which displays photographs of buildings covered with tiles made by Udo Knoff's workshop. The museum is the result of the private collection of the ceramist Udo Knoff, born in Germany and based in Salvador.

The space has pieces by the ceramist, as well as tiles from the XNUMXth to the XNUMXth centuries of Portuguese, English, French, Dutch, Mexican and Belgian origin, glazed tiles, plates, jars and reproductions of old tiles. part, of houses in the process of demolition in the state of Bahia.

National tiles, collected from the facades of the traditional Salvador, and foreign tiles from Portugal, France, Holland, England and Italy, from the XNUMXth to the XNUMXth centuries, stand out.

Also part of the collection are work tools, machinery and ceramic objects donated by friends, students and other collectors.

The museum also promotes monthly lectures and guided visits in order to streamline visits.

Location: Rua Frei Vicente, Pelourinho

See also other features History of the introduction of Portuguese tiles in Brazil

30. Museum of Former Vows of Senhor do Bonfim

Museu dos Ex-Votos do Senhor do Bonfim was created in 1975 in the Basílica do Bonfim, one of the most famous postcards of Bahia, the former Sala dos Milagres, today the Ex-Votos Museum of Bonfim has a collection consisting of more than 2000 pieces of ex-votos made by the faithful, in payment for the graces achieved.

They are often objects in gold, silver, bronze, wood and wax, ranging from soccer shoes to master's thesis.

Collection: Objects left by the faithful as thanks to Senhor do Bonfim.

Location: Largo do Bonfim, s/nº, Senhor do Bonfim Church, Bonfim

31. Museum of the Third Order of São Francisco

Museum of the Third Order of San Francisco built in 1703, it is famous for its unique facade in Brazil in chiseled ashlar, which refers to the Spanish baroque.

Franco Velasco's drawings on the nave's roof were made more than a hundred years after its foundation, in 1831.

Another highlight is the meeting room, covered with XNUMXth century Portuguese tiles. There is also a sacred art museum on site.

Collection: Pieces of sacred art.

Location: Rua Inácio Aciolli, s/nº, Pelourinho

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 2:6h to 8:00h.

32. Nativity Scene Museum

Presépio Museum is an important museum for lovers of sacred art, it was recently created in 1993, it has a collection consisting of about 50 pieces, including nativity scenes, maquinetas, oratories and engravings.

Through its images and objects, visitors are led to remember the story of Jesus' birth.

Location: Rua Itabuna, 286, Parque Cruz Aguiar, Rio Vermelho

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 2:6h to 10:00h and 12:00h to 14:00h. Except holidays.

33. Ufba Archeology and Ethnology Museum

The Ufba Museum of Archeology and Ethnology is installed in what corresponds to the architectural remains of what used to be the large and complex building of the Royal College of the Jesuits.

The collection is divided into archaeological – made up of ceramics, polished stone, chipped stone and fossils; ethnological – consisting of ritual ornaments, utensils, fishing and kitchen equipment and documents depicting indigenous, black and European culture and rock art.

In addition to the temporary exhibitions.

 Collection: Indigenous objects, paintings and photographs.

Location: Praça 15 de Novembro, Terreiro de Jesus, s/nº, Old Faculty of Medicine

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 2:6h to 9:00h. Except holidays.

34. Erotic Museum

Erotic Museum is installed at the headquarters of Grupo Gay da Bahia (GGB), it brings together more than 400 pieces of popular erotic representations from different countries.

The collection belongs to historian Marcelo Cerqueira, also president of the GGB.

Highlight for the indigenous ceramics of Ceará and the loincloths of Wai-wai women, from Amazonas.

Collection: Representations of popular erotic imagery through northeastern, Amazonian and Mexican handicrafts, pre-Columbian art; French pop art and sex shop pieces.

Location: Rua Frei Vicente, 24, Pelourinho

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 2:6h to 9:00h and from 12:00h to 14:00h. Except holidays.

35. Palacete das Artes

The environment, with gardens, restaurant and space for children's activities, also holds space for large works and exhibitions.

The Palacete of Comendador Bernardo Martins Catharino, also called “Villa Catharino” was the first property of eclectic style listed by Ipac, in 1986.

Its space consists of the Sala Contemporânea Mario Cravo Jr., which houses temporary exhibitions by important artists in the plastic arts scene in Bahia, Brazil and other countries.

Visitation: Tuesday to Friday, from 13:19 pm to 14:19 pm. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from XNUMX pm to XNUMX pm. Rua da Graça, Grace

36. Public Promenade

Next to Largo do Campo Grande and beside the Palácio da Aclamação, the Passeio Público was restored in 2015 and reopened for visitation.

The space, which is considered an open-air museum, was inaugurated in 1810 by Conde dos Arcos, then governor of Bahia.

Sculptures from the site were restored, the sidewalks renovated and the sidewalks readjusted or rebuilt.

Visitation: Monday to Sunday, from 9am to 21pm. Avenida Sete de Setembro, Palácio da Aclamação.

37. Solar do Ferrão

Solar Ferrão is a space of art, culture and memory, located in the Historic Center of Salvador.

Listed by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan) in 1938, the mansion built between the end of the XNUMXth century and the beginning of the XNUMXth century has six floors and houses the Solar Ferrão Gallery, the Abelardo Rodrigues Museum and four collections: African Art Claudio Masella ; Popular art; Sound Plastics, Walter Smetak, and the Emília Biancardi Traditional Musical Instruments Collection.

Visitation: Tuesday to Friday, from 12:18 to 12:17. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from XNUMX:XNUMX to XNUMX:XNUMX. Gregório de Matos Street, Pelourinho

38. Music City of Bahia

The Cidade da Música da Bahia is located in a Casarão dos Azulejos Azuis, in the Comércio region, in Salvador, close to the city’s postcards, such as the Lacerda elevator and the Mercado Modelo, built in the 1850s.

The city of Salvador, which is the birthplace of great artists of MPB, samba-reggae, rock, pagode and axé, offers a complete musical experience to the visitor, distributed in four floors fully recovered from the building.

Spaces

The ground floor has hall entrance, reception and ticket office, lounge, café, shop, library, media library, research center, in addition to the infrastructure area of ​​the cultural center.

The upper floors house permanent collections and are curated by anthropologist Antonio Risério and architect and artist Gringo Cardia.

On the first floor, the exhibition The City of Salvador and Its Music portrays the city's neighborhoods and their music, stories, testimonials and new trends. The site houses a large interactive model, three large projection screens, consultation stations and a studio for recording testimonies.

On the second floor, the theme is the Tropicalia and houses the exhibition History of Music in Bahia with nine video booths, in addition to three rooms: The Orchestra's Magic, with content focused on classical music; The New Music of the City, with an 80-inch screen that displays videos featuring new groups, up-and-coming singers and peripheral music groups; and finally the room Who makes the music of Bahia, which displays 260 testimonies from the most important and representative people of Bahian music.

The third floor is dedicated to educational entertainment, with a studio and mixing booth. In the karaoketeka space, the visitor becomes a singer. Choose a background for your video and, at the end, have a clip ready to post on social media. A video station displays all clips ever recorded. The content is cumulative and you can search who recorded it.

39. Memorial of the Baianas of Acarajé

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Salvador da Bahia Museums Tourist Guide