Peniche fortress was closed down at dawn on April 27, 1974. Some 45 years later, a decision has been announced to turn the political prison into a museum so that, "new generations should not forget."In November 2016, the Minister of Culture rethought his inclusion of the Forte de Peniche in a list of public buildings to be leased for tourism purposes as part of the government's Revive programme.
Now, a €3.4 million spend has been agreed and 22 architectural practices are to compete to design and create the National Museum of Resistance and Freedom, a somewhat more fitting tribute to political prisoners and torture victims than a new restaurant or hotel.
The announcement by the Minister of Culture was confirmed at a ceremony at which he received some suggested content from a commission of former prisoners and current historians.
The new national Museum of Resistance and Freedom will portray and explain what happened to those who did not agree with the policies and laws created by Portugal’s dictator, Salazar (pictured).
The museum is expected to have 11 themed areas within its massive walls, following a series of suggestions from former prisoners who are pleased that Peniche will be shown as, “the greatest symbol of the fascist prison system," where hundreds of political prisoners were held.
The Minister of Culture, Luís Castro Mendes, promised to have the new museum open to the public by April, 2019 and set a budget of €3.4 million to complete the work.
Domingos Abrantes, a member of the advisory committee and a former political prisoner in Peniche, said that this new plan corresponds to needs and expectations, considering it a "major event, because a national museum of resistance and freedom has always been needed."
The fort served as a prison for the Estado Novo (between 1934 and 1974), where the opponents of the Salazar regime were sent, mostly being members of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP).
On January 3rd, 1960, there was an escape from Peniche by Álvaro Cunhal (general secretary of the PCP), Joaquim Gomes, Carlos Costa, Jaime Serra, Francisco Miguel, José Carlos, Guilherme Carvalho, Pedro Soares, Rogério de Carvalho and Francisco Martins Rodrigues. Cunhal and the other prisoners drugged a jailer and abseiled down the walls to waiting getaway cars.
This 'Great Escape' was one of the most spectacular jail breaks during the Salazar years, mostly because Peniche was considered one of the most secure prisons in the country. The Peniche escape was unmatched until December 1961, when another seven PCP prisoners drove straight out of the jail at Caixas, near Lisbon, in an armour-plated car.
Any lingering awkwardness towards the State’s torture and jailing of political opponents during the Estado Novo may soon come to an end with exhibits, commentary and documentation available for all to see.
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For an analysis of the experience of political prisoners in Peniche, in the final stages of the Estado Novo dictatorship, click HERE
