a comprehensive and detailed exhibition on the dictatorship and the struggle for freedom in Portugal , and various spaces spread throughout the spectacular fortress that looms over the Atlantic Ocean . The museum offers educational services , a bookshop , a programme for collecting testimonies , temporary exhibitions , and a full cultural programme . And although at first glance it might seem that the grandeur of the fortress could overshadow what is displayed inside , the content matches the setting , especially with its excellent permanent exhibition Resistência e Liberdade (‘ Resistance and Freedom ’).
The exhibition draws from the latest knowledge of the different aspects surrounding the dictatorial period in Portugal , explaining through a rich museography ( audiovisuals , projections , maps , documents , photographs , objects , cell reconstructions , etc .) its various episodes : the construction of the Estado Novo ( the Portuguese variant of European fascism ); the formation of its police and repressive system ; its prison network ; the ( spectacular ) escapes that took place in Peniche ; colonialism and the Colonial War ; the Resistance and opposition movements ; life in hiding ; and the liberation . Throughout the exhibition , visitors encounter a narrative that moves from personal testimonies to international contexts , weaving together a story that ranges from the everyday to major political themes , all addressed with meticulous detail . To conclude , visitors can also see the Memorial aos que deram a Vida pela Liberdade ( Memorial to Those Who Gave Their Lives
4 . The new permanent exhibition Resistência e Liberdade | Photo by R . Conesa , EUROM
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Observing Memories Issue 8