Museu do Aljube

A brief journey into the brutal repression of the Salazar government, and at least a teaser about current issues.

As everywhere, addressing history is difficult as long as affected people are still alive. Additionally, the tourism authority does not particularly want to focus on 50 years of repression modeled after Hitler’s Gestapo. A significant step forward is the museum housed in a PIDE interrogation prison. In contrast, the torture prison of the ”Polícia Internacional e de Defesa do Estado” in Caxias doesn’t even have a plaque.

The Portuguese secret police indeed received training from Nazi Germany but implemented a system more akin to the GDR Stasi. What you see here could also be in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen and reveals the darkest sides of the Estado Novo. Admittedly, it could be a bit easier for visitors without prior knowledge, but after three floors, even without knowing every detail, you’ll leave in a grim mood. The modest number of visitors in the tourist center indicates that unpleasant topics are too often ignored. That’s precisely why you should visit.