The Network of Museums of Vila Nova de Famalicão celebrated a decade of existence last 26 November, and to mark this date it brought together the representatives of the 11 member museums, for the renewal of the commitment to join the network. The signing of the new 'Declaration of Principles' took place last Saturday, at the Town Hall.
Ten years after the signing of the first 'Declaration of Principles', the Network of Museums decided to renew the commitment to continue and intensify the path of cooperation started in 2012, enhancing the growing connection between its member museums, the people and the territory. To this end, a new declaration was drawn up, updating the list of member museums (ten museums and one visitable collection) and responding to the demands of networking today, which also integrates the vision, mission and guiding principles of the Network of Museums.
"By renewing this commitment we want to continue and, if possible, intensify this networking, without giving up the identity of each of the museums", said the Councillor for Culture, Pedro Oliveira. "The strong projection of the Municipality, from a cultural point of view, is also due to the work that has been developed by this network".
The renewal of this partnership commitment was included in the VI Meeting of the Museum Network of Vila Nova de Famalicão that took place on November 25th and 26th, and that coincided with the commemorations of the 10th anniversary of the Network. In this context, the second volume of the collection 'To be and to do Museums in the 21st century' was also launched: 'Defining a path... where we are, where we are going', last Friday 25th, at the National Railway Museum - Lousado Nucleus. A new volume, which documents the whole project 'Museums of Famalicão. Sustainable development in practice', which started during the year 2021 with two conferences, and continued in 2022 with the measurement of the Sustainability Index of Famalicão Museums, as well as the definition of actions to be implemented to follow a more sustainable path.
The Municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão through the Department of Culture coordinates the Network of Museums. Currently, the Camilo House - Museum. Studies Centre, the Bernardino Machado Museum, the Cupertino de Miranda Foundation Museum - Portuguese Centre of Surrealism, the National Railway Museum - Lousado Nucleus, the Ave Basin Textile Industry Museum, the Castro Alves Foundation-Museum of Artistic Ceramics, the Automobile Museum, the Colonial War Museum, the Soledade Malvar House-Museum, the Museum of Sacred Art of the Lapa Chapel and the Museum of the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Carmel of Lemenhe, the latter with the status of a viewable collection.