The day before an open debate was held in Silves on the future of its Cork Museum and Fábrica do Inglês, a request for their classification as ‘property of national interest’ was sent to the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage.
The eight hour debate last Saturday at the Teatro Mascarenhas Gregório in Silves produced no result despite the intent to define the solution to the reopening of the museum and site.
The final decision on classification will be made by the Minister of Culture but in the past the government has expressed no interest at all in getting involved with what it sees as a private matter as the museum collection has been bought at auction by the privately owned Nogueira Group and the building is owned by Caixa Geral, perhaps.
The Nogueira Group, owner of the AliSuper/AliCoop convenience store chain. which again is struggling financially, outbid the council for the contents of the museum in 2014 for reasons it so far has failed to explain.
The petition to classify the property as of national interest builds on the council’s local 2014 petition to classify the buildings as ‘of municipal interest,’ but the way forward remains uncertain.
The mayor has tried to buy back the collection of artifacts and cork processing machinery to no avail, realises that the local classification is toothless but knows that a antional classification would open the way for reopening the museum, if the ownership problems are clarified and if the various parties involved have the will to cooperate.
It was unhelpful that Caixa Geral failed to send a delegate, explaining that there is pending litigation so it could not help move the debate forward. This may have referred to a legal argument with Millennium Bank over the ownership of the site which remains uncared for and now approaches dereliction.
Sul Informaçao’s reporter noted that only two MP’s attended the mammoth session; João Vasconcelos from the Left Bloc and José Carlos Barros from the PSD. No opposition members attended from Silves council.
See also: 'Public meeting set for Silves Cork Museum debate'
For a full report in Portuguese: 'Fábrica do Inglês e Museu da Cortiça podem ser classificados como «imóvel de interesse nacional»'
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