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Operating since 1997, it was created to ensure a National Policy for Photography and, currently, its mission is to safeguard, promote and value photographic heritage. This is the Centro Português de Fotografia (Portuguese Photography Center), which can be visited free of charge by all lovers of the Eighth Art (and not only).

Its construction began in 1767 and was once the Antiga Cadeia e Tribunal da Relação do Porto (Former Jail and Court of Appeal of Porto) where, over several floors, there were the dungeons, the prisoners' yard, the salons, the infirmaries and the individual prisons. The distribution of prisoners by these spaces obeyed criteria that had to take into account the type of crime committed, the social status of the detainee, and the ability to pay for the jail. The jail also had a Gatehouse and lodgings for the jailer, an oratory, and a chapel for the prisoners. In 1902, the Anthropometric Post and a photographic section were added, as well as two small workshops: one for tailoring and the other for shoemaking.

After several modifications, the building was deactivated for security reasons in 1974 and the prisoners were all transferred to the Prison Establishment of Custóias (still under construction at the time). It was only in 1987 that it began to undergo some interventions to prevent its already advanced degradation, but it was in 2000 that began an intervention that allowed the Antiga Cadeia e Tribunal da Relação do Porto to be adapted to the new functions it would receive: the Centro Português de Fotografia. Responsible for the project were the highly acclaimed Portuguese architects: Eduardo Souto Moura and Humberto Vieira.

The Centro Português de Fotografia is currently a space with two permanent exhibitions, with free access, which are divided between the Sala da Memória (Memory Room) and the Núcleo Museológico António Pedro Vicente (António Pedro Vicente Museum Centre).

The Sala da Memória is on the second floor, in the former Sala das Mulheres (Women's Room), where topics of general interest are discussed (such as the location of the building and organization of the former jail, biographical notes of the people who were imprisoned here, and the central role that photography plays in the judicial system), while the Núcleo Museológico António Pedro Vicente can be visited on the third floor – here we find an exhibition of cameras and photographic equipment (some with more than a century of history!), and get lost among the details.

Every month, there is something new to discover. Besides the permanent exhibitions, the Centro Português de Fotografia hosts different temporary and itinerant exhibitions every month, which means that no two visits to this space are the same. Enjoy!

Cool Tip: The Store of the Centro Português de Fotografia receives different national and international publications on photography, and also includes a reading area where you can explore different specialized books.