The history of Portuguese is on display at this one-of-a-kind museum in the world’s capital of Portuguese speakers, São Paulo.
The Portuguese Language Museum is the first museum in the world dedicated to educating visitors about a single language. Visit to learn about the history and culture of the Portuguese language. Familiarize yourself with the major writers of the Portuguese language, learn the influence that other languages have had on Portuguese throughout history and discover a few words to use during your stay in São Paulo.
The Portuguese Language Museum was established in 2006. São Paulo is a fitting location for the museum, as the city has the largest concentration of Portuguese speakers in the world.
The museum’s three halls take up a large portion of the grand Estação da Luz train station. Exhibitions on Portuguese and Brazilian writers are spread across the ground floor. Learn the names of famous Portuguese writers and then seek out their works in one of the city’s bookshops later on. Look for the great Nobel laureate José Saramago.
Upstairs, the permanent collection chronicles how the Portuguese language has evolved over the years. Map of the Speakers details the variants and dialects of Portuguese used across the vast country of Brazil. Check out the exhibition Crosswords to learn how other European, African and South American languages have influenced the Portuguese language over time.
Many displays throughout the museum feature English translations, although some information appears only in Portuguese. If you need something translated for you, ask a multi-lingual staff member to help you.
Arrive at the Portuguese Language Museum by bus or metro. Avoid driving, as parking in the area can be difficult to find. The museum is situated in the Estaçao da Luz train station in the Luz district of São Paulo. An admission fee applies. The museum is closed on Mondays and national holidays.
