Memorial Vilar Formoso – Fronteira da Paz
Memorial in the former Vilar Formoso station, dedicated to the refugees of the Second World War and to the consul Aristides de Sousa Mendes.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Pólo Museológico Vilar Formoso – Fronteira da Paz (Vilar Formoso – Border of Peace Museological Hub) was created by the Municipality of Almeida to commemorate the refugees who crossed this border during the Second World War and the consul Aristides de Sousa Mendes, who in June 1940 issued thousands of visas in Bordeaux, going against the instructions of the Portuguese government. It opened on 26 August 2017.
The memorial occupies two warehouses of the Vilar Formoso railway station, transferred to the municipality by IP Património. Many of the refugees fleeing Nazi persecution entered Portugal through this border post, where the local population welcomed and supported them. The architectural design is by Luísa Pacheco Marques.
The exhibition route has six sections, which follow the refugees' lives from the rise of Nazism to their departure for other destinations. The site is part of the Rede das Judiarias de Portugal – Rotas de Sefarad (Network of Portuguese Jewish Quarters – Sephardic Routes).
Key themes
- Six sections on the flight, the border crossing and the refugees' departure in 1940
- Installation in two warehouses of the Vilar Formoso railway station
- “Saber Mais” (Learn More) space with oral testimonies on tablets
- Garden of Memory and stone memorial with the names of people who received visas
- Content in Portuguese and English
Permanent exhibition
- Vilar Formoso – Fronteira da Paz – Route through six sections on Nazi persecution, the refugees' journey, the crossing of the border in 1940, their passage through Portugal and their departure.
- Founded
- 2017
- Operated by
- Município de Almeida
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Plan your visit
| Good to know | The content of the route and of the “Saber Mais” space is available in Portuguese and English. |
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