Just outside the city walls of Braga is the home of the Portuguese nobility, “Palacio dos Biscainhos”. The construction of this palace is given thanks to the interest of Dr. Constantino Ribeiro do Lago, Templar of the Order of Christ. The name of the palace comes from the workers who built it that were from Bizkaia, which we know today as “Viscaya” (Biscay). Its construction was completed in the seventeenth century.
Of a Baroque style, the property belonged to the same family for more than 300 years, the Counts Bertiandos. The interiors include tiles, ceilings with period paintings and scenes from the life of the nobles.
The main entrance with an irregular floor allowed the wagons and carriages to pass through a totally roofed path, which was also the passage to the stables and gardens.
The gardens cover about 10,000 square meters and are considered one of the most important historical gardens of the baroque period in Portugal. It also has various sources and sculptures.
In 1963, the Third “Visconde de Paço de Nespereira” donated the property to the city of Braga to create a museum. The Museum of Biscainhos opened to the public in 1978. It is a Public Interest Property since 1949.