Its construction was ordered at the end of the 16th century by D. João Luís de Menezes, and the Municipal Government was installed there until the 19th century, at which point the space was converted into a district prison, a purpose it served until 1972. Its use as a museum space began in 1981, under the guidance of Raúl de Almeida, a primary teacher in Mafra, who played an important role in assembling the museum’s collection from the Town Hall of Mafra.

This Municipal Museum is dedicated to local ethnography and history, and has an important collection of the traditional pottery of Mafra, which includes utilitarian and figurative clay objects, as well as other areas of interest, such as the collection of traditional costumes, devotional objects, coins and other symbols of the municipality’s cultural heritage.

Currently, the Prof. Raúl de Almeida Municipal Museum, as a museum space, is temporarily closed to the public, housing the Fine Arts Atelier and its activities.