Hospital De Bonecas. Lisbon. Not for those with Pediophobia.
Source Manuela Cutileiro, the current 5th generation owner and "matron"
For just 2 euros, I spent a magical hour wandering around this wonderful establishment, I was even offered a guided tour in the price, which I declined as I prefer to meander at my own pace snapping away.
So please come see what I saw and marvel, laugh, or just understand why I loved this place.
The Doll Hospital
Praça da Figueira, 7
1100-240 Lisboa
Portugal
Pediophobia: An irrational fear of dolls.
Seriously?
The eyes are the window to the soul, come enter my darkness
The hospital was founded in the 1830's by Dona Carlota Da Silva Luz it started life as a shop selling medicinal herbs and teas.
The lady was also a skilled artisan and made an abundance of rag- dolls for the local children, becoming so popular with the locals that her shop became known for its dolls.
Over time the children would bring her their own dolls to be repaired, and so the doll doctor and her hospital came to be.
The hospital is still owned by her descendants, now the 5th generation are carrying the business forward
Business is thriving, there is apparently a waiting list for surgery in excess of 4 months. Still that's a lot better than the shit Welsh NHS.
Coulrophobia: The irrational fear of clowns.
Seriously?
The vast majority of patients at the hospital for treatment are from Portugal,
Though they have been know to arrive for treatment from all over the world.
Political interlude.
"Health care tourism"...... non-UK residents travelling to the UK with the specific intention of using free at the point of use NHS services.
It is estimated that the government spends about £1.74BILLION per year of British tax payers money on ‘deliberate’ health tourism by foreign visitors and illegal migrants who’ve ended up being treated whilst in the country.
A fucking disgrace.
Meanwhile.....
Shelves and glass-fronted storage drawers store a wonderful and weird collection of doll heads and other harvested parts that have been collected over the decades; "The donors"
Don't ya just love this little fella. Must be on the pull
"Hello handsome come join us we hava jiggy jiggy foursome, let's get your dickie bow spinning."
Strangely some owners never return to collect their dolls, resulting in the hospital amassing one of the world’s largest collections, some over 100 years old.
You will not sleep, we will invade your darkest hour, prey to your chosen god, if you wish, he will not be there for you....but we will be.
Your soul belongs to us
Thanks for visiting my page, I am pleased to make your acquaintance. this is Stephen aka, @grindle, happily retired, travelling the world snapping away. My weapon of choice is currently a Nikon Z6(2).
Unless stated all images are shot by me, all text is mine based on various info sources. NOT AI generated.
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Loved your post! Never been there! I just realized about this "hospital" in the Xmas fair that happened in the City Central Plaza last year. I posted just two or three photos about it, but not as cool has this wonderful discover that you brought us!
Congratulations!
https://peakd.com/hive-196308/@xrayman/rossio-christmas-market-lisbon-portugal
cheers @xrayman thanks for dropping in, your words are appreciated and inspiring to me, so long as people enjoy my efforts I am happy, the link is interesting I did not realise they had xmas fairs in Lisbon! Love it the way they have done a xmas display in their window
By far your post made me "hungry" for visit their physical store! Amazing shots :)
Cheers @xrayman , glad you enjoyed it….one for the bucket list!
Without any doubt of it!
Have a great week!
cheers
you too
What an intriguing discovery! Your story about the Hospital de Bonecas in Lisbon is truly fascinating, and the images you captured make the atmosphere of the place even more surreal. 🌍 This strange combination of history and eeriness has a charm all of its own, and I completely understand why it struck you so much. The history of this hospital for dolls, passed down from generation to generation, is simply incredible. Thanks for sharing
cheers @silviared945 , thanks for your input, it is always valued. glad you enjoyed walking with me and "getting it"
cheers @hivecurators for your support and curation, very much appreciated
Ha ha, this place is awesome.
I didn't manage to find it when I visited Lisbon, but then about 4 years later I saw the doll hospital on the TV program 'travel man' in the UK 😆
Gutted I missed out on it tbh, I love anything creepy and macabre... this place defo seems to fit the bill!
Nice pics, thanks for taking us round Hospital De Bonecas with you grindle 👍
cheers @raj808 thanks for dropping in, thank you for your kind words and your input is appreciated. i too love death and destruction LOL.
I must have missed that episode of travel man I shall have to look on iplayer
Strangely?
LOL LOL LOL
I think it's more like "purposely abandoned"
😂
😂 you are heartless
😈
Stephen, friend... This is a great discovery, a very particular place with a story well told by you.
Let me call you Stephen if that's okay :) Have a great weekend @grindle 📸
!discovery 40
!LUV
@grindle, @dimascastillo90(1/10) sent you LUV. | tools | discord | community | HiveWiki | <>< daily
cheers @dimascastillo90 by all means call me Stephen, much appreciate the friendship, Dimas????
your input is always appreciated and valued
And I really appreciate your support of my work.
Yes my friend, Dimas :)
👌
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If they need re-branding one day, my advice is to call the place pediophobe factory since many people will never be the same after seeing all this, like, a thousand of severed limbs, destroyed eyes, and sinister giggling faces, lol.
(Gorgeous place to visit, great photo report!)
cheers @x-rain always appreciate your input, I loved it
You really do end up at the most bonkers places when you go away!!
Thanks LOL, x
5th generation? Wow, you guys are certainly doing great! How amazing that such a place exists, I loved learning about it, and seeing your photos of the place. I'm sure the discoveries were more, but the ones you show us look great, I'd love to take pictures at night, or darker there, haha.
While I'm not afraid of dolls or clowns, I'm very intrigued by these very old ways of making their faces real and a little creepy at the same time.
I send you greetings and a big hug!
cheers @littlesorceress thank yoiu for dropping in and I am glad you enjoyed visiting with me, yes there were many more bits to see, this was just a selection.Thank you for the hig, here is one for you x
I don't know, I'd be having nightmares for a week after visiting that place. I don't get to the point of pediophobia but almost... 🤣
There are some creepy things in the world, hahahaha. It's also the point of view from which you look at it, that picture of the heads behind the glass... 😳
and this one 😬
Yeah she is cool 😂
😁
No affinity to these lifeless things, perhaps some historical ones may be of interest to those who collect.
!PIZZA
👍
👍 😌
$PIZZA slices delivered:
@joanstewart(1/10) tipped @grindle