The former Islands Municipal Council

The Museum of Taipa and Coloane History occupies the former Islands Municipal Council building in Taipa. It is a two-storey museum with nine exhibition rooms, video areas and a souvenir shop. The building’s earlier civic role gives the museum a local frame: the institution that once represented the islands now houses material about the histories of Taipa and Coloane.

The entire ground floor is devoted to archaeological finds from the two islands. Displays introduce prehistoric cultures and older history through objects excavated at Hac Sá and material recovered from stone architectural remains in the basement of the former council building.

Five archaeological excavations took place in the Hac Sá area of Coloane between 1973 and 2006. The building in Taipa underwent its own excavation in 2004–05, before the museum displays brought the finds together. Relics from multiple sites appear on the ground floor, allowing visitors to encounter archaeological material from Taipa and Coloane in one place.

The exhibition has nine rooms across two floors, with video presentation zones as well as object displays. Its archaeological galleries offer a long view of island life, while the former council building records a more recent civic history. The two strands meet in the same museum: one follows material left by early inhabitants; the other uses the building and its contents to introduce the islands as places with distinct histories.