The Ethnography and History Museum, housed in an 18th-century mansion just behind the Matriz Church, focuses on Póvoa's fishing past and the unusual maritime culture of the town. The collection includes scale models of the traditional masseira fishing boats, fishing nets and tackle, and a striking display of the siglas poveiras — the writing system of geometric marks the fishermen used to identify property and family lines.
The first-floor exhibition on the everyday life of the fishing families is the best part. Closed Mondays. Allow about an hour.