Over a Century of History.
Historical Archive
The mission of the CP Archive is to conserve, preserve, organize, update, enhance, and make accessible to the public the records of corporate life and the development of transport and the railway sector in Portugal, while maintaining an effective archival system to provide high-quality information in a timely manner.
The collection spans over 167 years of corporate history, covering economic, political, social, cultural, intellectual, and scientific dimensions, essential for telling the story of the country.
Studies, minutes, contracts, timetables, annual reports, technical drawings, posters, still images (photographs), and moving images (films) make up the following collections:
- CP: 1860 –
- Sociedade Estoril: 1918–1972
- Companhia dos Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses da Beira Alta: 1896–1947
- Private Collections:
- António da Silveira Bual
- Augusto Cerveira
- Photographic
- Audiovisual
- Technical
For more information, please consult the Archive Guide or send an email to cultura@cp.pt.
The CP Archive holds administrative, technical, and iconographic documentation produced and received by the Company in the course of its activities.
These documents primarily serve as an effective support for CP’s management and, as a source for the study of corporate history and the railway sector, also constitute an inseparable part of the country’s heritage.
Aware of the value of its archival heritage, its unique characteristics, and its indelible place in national history, CP’s documentation is legally governed by the Regulation for the Classification and Appraisal of Information Produced in the Exercise of CP Functions, established in Ministerial Order 39/2019 of 29 January and its accompanying selection table, annexed to the ordinance and forming an integral part of it.
This regulation defines retention periods and the final destination of documents, providing services with objective criteria for the appraisal, selection, and disposal of records.
- Reference Service
- On-site Consultation: On-site consultation requires prior appointment, at least five working days in advance, by email or letter.
- Online Consultation: Available at cp.pt/institucional/pt/culturaferroviaria
- Loans: Exceptional loans for external entities. Requests should be sent to cultura@cp.pt
- Scientific and Cultural Collaboration
- Consultancy: Specialized consultancy on railway history topics is provided.
- Partnerships and Co-productions: Based on proposals from external entities on subjects relevant to the CP brand, for example, organizing exhibitions, historical reenactments, or thematic editions/publications about railways.
- Education and Heritage:
- Historical and cultural railway-related educational activities, available via videoconference or on-site.
- Guided visits to railway heritage sites.
- Collection of Documents and Memories: Enhancing CP’s archival and intangible heritage through acquisition, donation, or deposit of documents and testimonies from current and former employees, as well as from third parties.
- Reproduction of Documents and/or Images
- Technical-Professional Internships: Undergraduate, postgraduate, and master’s internships in the field of Documentary Sciences, specialized in Archives.
For more information, please consult the Archive Guide or send an email to cultura@cp.pt.
Schedules
9:00 AM to 1:00 PM / 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM
Tuesday to Thursday, by prior appointment.
Contacts
Phone: +351 211 023 599 / +351 221 052 403
Email: cultura@cp.pt
Address
CP – Comboios de Portugal, E. P. E.
Strategic Planning – Information Management
Calçada do Duque, No. 20, 1249-109 Lisbon, Portugal
Acess
Train: Rossio Station
Metro: Restauradores, Rossio, and Baixa-Chiado stations
Carris Buses: via Praça do Rossio and via Largo Trindade Coelho
