Category: Civil Architecture > Museum
District: Braga > Vila Nova de Famalicão > Ribeirão > Famalicão Central Park
The Colonial War Museum is located in Ribeirão, a town in the municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão, in the district of Braga. It is part of Famalicão Central Park, an urban development notable for its recent and planned design within the local urban environment. Its presence in this modern and accessible space facilitates visits and frames it within a dynamic of renewal and cultural appreciation for the region.
This museum is dedicated to the crucial task of collecting and preserving the effects of the Portuguese combatants who participated in the Colonial War. Its central purpose is to reconstruct what is affectionately nicknamed "o Baú da Guerra" (the War Chest), a vast and diverse collection of personal documents and objects. This collection includes intimate correspondence, diaries, first-hand accounts, photographs, and a panoply of other artifacts that belonged to the soldiers. This wealth of material and documents constitutes an invaluable primary source for understanding the experience of those who were on the ground during the conflict.
One of the museum's fundamental missions is to deepen the understanding of the history and profound impact of the Colonial War, focusing on the human dimension of the conflict. Through the exhibited pieces and carefully preserved testimonies, the space invites reflection on this complex period, honoring and valuing the memory of the combatants. It aims to be a meeting point with this recent phase of Portugal's history, seeking to fill knowledge gaps among the new generations and the general public, promoting a more informed and sensitive collective memory.
Among the items that make up the museum's exhibition, one of the most notable is the presence of an Alouette III helicopter. This aircraft played an extremely important logistical and operational role throughout the Colonial War. The opportunity to observe this specific model up close provides a tangible perception of the air transport methods that were employed and their influence on ground operations, from the strategic movement of troops to the essential transport of cargo.
The museum's internal organization was designed with a clear thematic structure, aiming to offer a comprehensive pedagogical perspective on the Colonial War. The underlying intention is to provide historical and cultural information in an accessible and intelligible manner. The museum thus presents itself as a dynamic learning space, particularly useful for those seeking to deepen their knowledge of this complex period of Portuguese history, based on concrete sources and objects that give substance to the historical narrative.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 41.3677182,-8.5485378
Coordinates DMS: 41°22'3.8"N 08°32'54.7"W
Weather Ribeirão
On-duty Pharmacy Ribeirão
