Presó-Museu Camí de la Llibertat

About the museum

The Presó-Museu Camí de la Llibertat occupies the former prison of the judicial district of Sort, on the Plaça de Sant Eloi. In the mid-19th century Sort became the seat of a judicial district, and a men's prison was set up in the Casa Xorret (where there had been a Gothic chapel of Sant Cosme i Sant Damià), and a women's prison in an adjoining building. During the Civil War, groups of persecuted people passed through it, first at the hands of the Republicans and then under Francoist repression; during the Second World War, hundreds of foreign refugees captured while crossing the Pyrenees, and later maquis guerrillas and people accused of minor offences. The prison was closed in 1968, when the judicial district disappeared, and became a municipal warehouse.

The museum project was born in 2001 from a cross-border cooperation agreement between Sort and Sent Gironç (Ariège), within the framework of the Treaty of Bayonne of 1995, and received European funding. The museum opened on 15 July 2007 with the aim of keeping alive the memory of those who escaped across the Pyrenees from occupied Europe.

It is part of the network of memory sites of the Memorial Democràtic and is a point of reference for the “Perseguits i Salvats” routes promoted by the Diputació de Lleida. The guided tour covers the living conditions in the former prison and the impact of the war on Sort.

Key themes

• Former men's and women's prisons of Sort
• History of the escapes across the Pyrenees (1936–1945)
• Refugees and persecuted people of the Second World War
• “Perseguits i Salvats” exile and escape routes
• Guided tour by advance booking

Permanent exhibition

• Exposición permanente «Camí de la Llibertat» – Tour of the former prison of Sort that explains the escapes across the Pyrenees during the Second World War, the impact of the war on Sort and the living conditions of the prisoners, as a tribute to those who made the escape.

Founded

2007

Operated by

Ayuntamiento de Sort

Admission & discounts

Over 12s: €3. Tickets are also sold online for the museum and for a guided route through Sort.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Educational notebook for primary, secondary and upper secondary pupils, based on the story “Lo padrí James Camí de la Llibertat”.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit