About us

Find out about the PATRIMÓNIO CULTURAL 360® project and the partner network that is making Portuguese cultural heritage more accessible to everyone.

Cultural Heritage 360®

PATRIMÓNIO CULTURAL 360® is a national public project aimed at providing universal, free and online access to Portuguese cultural heritage in digital format. Promoted by Património Cultural, I.P. and funded by the European Union through the Recovery and Resilience Plan, the project forms part of a broader strategy for the modernisation and digital transition of culture, making heritage accessible to all, anywhere and at any time.

Through PATRIMÓNIO CULTURAL 360®, high-quality digital content is produced and made available, including two-dimensional and three-dimensional digitisation of movable cultural assets, three-dimensional surveys of museums, monuments, palaces and archaeological sites, immersive virtual tours and documentary audiovisual content. The project employs advanced digital technologies such as high-resolution photography, photogrammetry, laser scanning and 3D modelling, ensuring high levels of detail, technical accuracy and scientific reliability.

PATRIMÓNIO CULTURAL 360® is based on a collaborative approach, involving technical teams from museums, monuments, palaces and archaeological sites, as well as specialists in information technology, photography, modelling, graphic design, archaeology, history, art history, museology and conservation and restoration, alongside researchers, higher education institutions and partner entities. This joint effort enables the creation of a structured and lasting digital memory of Portuguese cultural heritage, strengthening its preservation, study, dissemination and public enjoyment.

Promoter

PATRIMÓNIO CULTURAL 360® is promoted by Património Cultural, I.P., a public body of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport responsible for safeguarding, enhancing, studying and promoting cultural heritage in Portugal. In the exercise of its duties, Património Cultural, I.P. ensures the management of museums, monuments, palaces and archaeological sites, as well as national heritage information systems, playing a central role in defining and implementing public cultural policies.

As the promoter of PATRIMÓNIO CULTURAL 360®, Património Cultural, I.P. assumes the strategic, technical and scientific leadership of the project, ensuring the accuracy of content, the quality of digitisation processes and the institutional coherence of the information made available. This responsibility is reflected in an integrated approach that combines scientific knowledge, technological innovation and public service, placing digital transition at the service of preserving collective memory and ensuring democratic access to cultural heritage.

The promotion of PATRIMÓNIO CULTURAL 360® is part of a long-term vision for culture, in which digitisation is understood as a structural instrument for modernisation, for strengthening public engagement and for creating new forms of interaction between heritage, research, education and society.

Partners

PATRIMÓNIO CULTURAL 360® is a collaborative project developed through a broad network of partnerships with public and private entities, including public institutes and companies, municipalities, religious institutions, foundations, archives, higher education and research institutions, independent specialists and technology companies. This diversity of partners reflects the cross-cutting nature of cultural heritage and ensures a comprehensive, representative and technically robust approach.

The participation of these entities contributes decisively to the quality, innovation and scope of PATRIMÓNIO CULTURAL 360®, enabling the integration of scientific knowledge, technical expertise, operational experience and proximity to territories and communities. Cooperation between multidisciplinary teams and institutions with different missions and responsibilities is one of the project’s key pillars, strengthening its capacity to respond to the challenges of cultural heritage digitisation and promoting a culture of sharing, innovation and collective knowledge-building.

Partners

Objectives and impact

Digitizing Heritage

2D and 3D Content;
Immersive Virtual Tours;
Records with Technical Detail.

Preserve and safeguard

Lasting digital memory;
Reducing the risk of loss;
Supporting conservation.

Universal access

Online and free;
Simple and fast search;
Available anytime.

To value and promote

Greater visibility;
Greater contextualization and interpretation;
Greater continuous cultural promotion.

Reaching new audiences

Education and community;
More engaging experience;
Interest in local heritage.

Supporting study and research

Resource for schools;
Resource for universities;
Resource for researchers;

BEGINNING

PATRIMÓNIO CULTURAL 360® originated within the framework of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), as a structural project within Portugal’s public policy for the digital transition of culture. Integrated into the Culture Component of the RRP, the project benefits from European funding aimed at modernising public cultural facilities and creating digital infrastructures capable of ensuring the preservation, enhancement and dissemination of Portuguese cultural heritage.

The launch of PATRIMÓNIO CULTURAL 360® was based on an integrated set of funding streams focused on the digitisation of collections, the production of virtual tours, the strengthening of connectivity and the acquisition of technological infrastructures. This framework enabled the simultaneous implementation of a wide-ranging programme for the digitisation of movable and immovable cultural assets, the production of advanced digital content and the development of an online portal with universal access, designed as a central platform for the integration and dissemination of heritage information.

From its inception, PATRIMÓNIO CULTURAL 360® was conceived as a project of national scale, with a transversal impact across museums, monuments, palaces and archaeological sites, establishing itself as a structural instrument for modernisation, innovation and public service in the cultural domain.

Continuity

Although initiated within the RRP funding framework, PATRIMÓNIO CULTURAL 360® was designed from the outset with a vision of continuity beyond the timeframe of this programme. The digitisation of cultural heritage and the public dissemination of digital content are understood as ongoing processes, requiring constant updating, progressive expansion and continuous adaptation to technological developments and societal needs.

The continuity of PATRIMÓNIO CULTURAL 360® is therefore based on strengthening institutional, scientific and technological partnerships, involving public and private entities, higher education and research institutions, archives, foundations, municipalities, religious institutions and specialised companies. These partnerships help ensure the sustainability of the project, the expansion of available content and the consolidation of the portal as a reference platform for digital cultural heritage in Portugal.

In this way, PATRIMÓNIO CULTURAL 360® positions itself as a long-term programme, capable of evolving beyond its initial funding, remaining active, relevant and aligned with the principles of public service, institutional collaboration and the continuous enhancement of Portuguese cultural heritage.

Commitment

PATRIMÓNIO CULTURAL 360® is committed to ensuring scientific rigour, technical quality and transparency in all content produced and made available. The project is guided by principles of public responsibility, service to society and the enhancement of cultural heritage as a common good, ensuring that the digital transition of culture respects heritage values, territorial diversity and collective memory.

This commitment is reflected in an ethical and sustainable approach to digitisation, in continuous collaboration with specialists and institutions, and in the creation of a reliable digital legacy for present and future generations.

Promoter

Project

Media Partner

Financing

Management

Partners

Files

About us

Cultural Heritage 360®

Promoter

Partners

Objectives and impact

Digitizing Heritage

Preserve and safeguard

Universal access

To value and promote

Reaching new audiences

Supporting study and research

BEGINNING

Continuity

Commitment

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