National Centre for Culture

Centro Nacional de Cultura (CNC) was founded in 1945 as an “intellectuals’ club” in which to exchange ideas. It was the brainchild of a group of monarchists who wished to defend a free culture.

It now includes a range of activities addressed to a broad spectrum of the public – Sunday Walks, travel, training courses, international meetings and seminars, exhibitions, publications, literary and artistic competitions, prizes and grants, children’s activities, providing cultural services for schools, corporations and foreign groups visiting Portugal. Currently CNC’s main objectives are to promote, defend, disseminate and register Portuguese cultural heritage, promote “cultural tourism” based on an integrated idea of tourism, environment, heritage and cultural itineraries, and to educate the younger generations on a feeling of global citizenship.