Cordoaria Nacional

The building of the factory, created by an order of the Marquis of Pombal made in 1771, was completed in 1779, probably to the design of the architect Reinaldo Manuel dos Santos.

The building, which extends parallel to the River Tagus, was intended for the production of sisal ropes, cables, sails and other equipment for the Portuguese Navy and other ships.

[1][2] The factory consisted of two parallel buildings of 353.30 meters, the length being necessitated by the rope production process.

The building to the south was used for the twisting of ropes to make different types of cables, while that to the north was used for spinning of linen, among other activities.

[2] The building has been subject to several changes as a result of fires in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and the restructuring necessary to convert it to a museum, as well as by the opening of a road and railway between it and the river, It ceased to function as a factory only in 1998 and is now used as a space for rotating exhibitions.