Oliva Historical Center

Oliva Tower

In 1925, António José Pinto de Oliveira founded the company Oliveira, Filhos & Cª. Ldª and dedicated himself to creating a true Iron Empire that produced a wide range of metallurgical products, including equipment for the hat industry, sewing machines, plumbing pipes, cast iron stoves, irons, salamanders, bathtubs, among many others.
A man of great strategic vision, António José Pinto de Oliveira invested in the solid training of his staff, in a policy of good salaries accompanied by interesting strategies for the efficient use of manpower and in the rationalization of the factory space, both from an architectural point of view and from the point of view of the layout of the sections.
The company became truly well-known, in Portugal and abroad, through the OLIVA sewing machine and a bold marketing plan with large, bright brand advertisements.

Oliva Tower: where history rises and tradition endures.

Currently closed, some of its buildings were acquired by the municipality and, today, the Torre da Oliva is home to a permanent exhibition dedicated to the company’s history, the Núcleo Histórico da Oliva which is located on the 1st floor of this emblematic building.

The Oliva Tower became part of the Circuits route through the Industrial Heritage of São João da Madeira, further reinforcing its diversity and attractiveness with this Historic Center of Oliva. The visit to the Iron Circuit – starts at the Tower building, with a presentation of the history of the factory, followed by a visit to the facilities in the so-called Zone 2 of this former Oliva, now rehabilitated as the Oliva Creative Factory, – an immense space dedicated to the creative industries and cultural.

This circuit ends with a free visit to the Oliva Art Center, a space dedicated to exhibitions of raw and contemporary art.