Guimaraes, which is located in the north of Portugal, was the first capital of Portugal. The city is known for its well-preserved historic center with numerous architectural masterpieces. The historic center of Guimarães is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Martin Sarmento Archaeological Museum is located in the monastery of St. Dominic of the XIV century, built in the Gothic style, and is considered one of the most interesting places in Guimaraes. It is noteworthy that in the museum we can enjoy the atmosphere of pre-Romanesque culture in Portugal.

The museum was founded in 1881, opened in 1885. The museum is named in honor of the archaeologist Martin Sarmento, who studied the sites of the Iron Age. At the end of the XIX century, Martin Sarmento excavated Celtic settlement Sitanov di Briteyrush, where they found some very interesting things that can be seen at the Museum: decoration of the time, fragments of weapons warriors Luizitanii ,. In 1897, among the exhibits appeared Pedra Formosa - an archaeological monument of culture of Castro, whose name means "beautiful stone". These are two stone slabs from the tomb, engraved with decorative elements and symbols.

The museum exhibited the numismatic and ethnographic collections of prehistoric and proto subjects ages in Portugal.

It is worth noting that the museum kept replenished, as archaeological excavations in the vicinity of the city do not stop.