The Museu de História Natural sits in a striking 1933 building in the Manueline revival style — twisted columns, maritime motifs, more like a small Lisbon palace than a museum. It was founded in 1911 and is the oldest museum in the country. The collection is old-fashioned in the best sense: dimly lit cases of stuffed mammals, a panorama of the southern African bush, jars of reptiles and insects, and the famous gallery of preserved elephant foetuses.
The murals in the main hall, painted by Roberto Chichorro and Malangatana, are worth as much attention as the specimens; they cover the walls of the central court in great expressionist sweeps. The building stands at one corner of the Polana quarter and is an easy walk from the Polana hotel and the Avenida Friedrich Engels.