A new museum exploring Portuguese history is expected to be built in the country’s capital, Lisbon.

Lisbon mayor Fernando Medina outlined his plans for the museum in his campaign for re-election last year, which will have a focus on the country’s explorative past.

Concentrating on the Age of Discovery, which ran from the 15th century to the 18th century and in which Portugal was a major player, the museum’s potential name has been through a few candidates, including the 'Museum of the Expansion' and 'Voyage Museum'.

The Age of Discovery was a period in European history where various new lands were “found” – which is to say they became apparent to Europe.

No specific programmes or content have been released as yet, neither has an exact location for the museum.

It has seen some criticism from certain prominent Portuguese and international academics, who argued that it would glorify the country’s colonial past.

However, other prominent Portuguese writers have railed against that criticism, with columnist João André Costa writing in the country’s Público newspaper: “It’s not possible to erase history. It happened. It existed. We can’t go back in time.”