Aljube Prison

Category: Civil Architecture > Museum

District: Lisboa > Lisboa > Lisboa > Sé

Location:

The Aljube Prison is located in the Sé district, in the historic heart of Lisbon. It is in a central area of the city, integrated into the oldest urban fabric, close to other reference points of the capital. The building is on Rua de Augusto Rosa.

A Secular History of Incarceration:

The building we know today as Aljube Prison has a very ancient connection to its prison function, with origins dating back to the period of the Islamic occupation of Lisbon (8th to 12th centuries). The word "Aljube" itself derives from the Arabic "al-jubb", meaning "well" or "cistern", evoking the idea of a deep, enclosed space. Over the centuries, it served as a prison for ecclesiastical prisoners and, later, after the implementation of Liberalism, it was transformed into a prison for common criminals, even being, for some time, exclusively for women.

The Political Prison of the Dictatorship:

One of the most striking and painful periods in Aljube's history was its use as a prison for political opponents during the Military Dictatorship and the Estado Novo. From 1928 until its closure in 1965, it held thousands of "political and social prisoners" detained by the political police, the PVDE (later PIDE). The building became one of the main detention and interrogation sites in Lisbon. Here, prisoners were subjected to torture methods, such as sleep deprivation or beatings, with the aim of extracting information. Aljube was a place of intense suffering and, in some cases, death.

The "Curros" and Isolation:

A particularly inhumane aspect of Aljube Prison was its isolation cells, known as "curros" or "gavetas" (drawers). Built in the 1940s, these were tiny spaces, described as resembling "sarcophagi", just "the size of a man stretched out". The lack of space was extreme, barely allowing movement. Darkness was almost total due to the double doors (one of them blind). Isolation was imposed absolutely, without access to books, paper, or any distraction, accentuating anguish. The satisfaction of physiological needs depended on the authorization and surveillance of the guards, a method of humiliation that broke human dignity. It was in these spaces that prisoners held incommunicado awaited interrogations.

Visits Under Surveillance:

Contact between detainees and the outside was rigidly controlled. Authorized family visits took place in the visiting room (parlatório), where prisoners and visitors were separated by a double mesh screen, with a political police agent positioned in the intermediate corridor to listen and monitor. Conversations often took place in dim light and were interrupted at the slightest suspicion on the part of the agent. Any attempt to denounce prison conditions or mistreatment resulted in the immediate termination of the visit, increasing the isolation of the detainees.

The Spirit of Resistance:

Despite the adverse conditions and repression, Aljube Prison was also a stage for acts of resistance. Over the years, various attempts and some notable escapes were recorded, carefully planned and executed with great risk, demonstrating the determination to achieve freedom. In addition to individual acts of resistance, the building was also chosen as the site for public demonstrations of solidarity and protest. A striking example was the gathering of hundreds of students and citizens in front of the prison in 1965, demanding the release of prisoners.

From Prison to Museum of Memory:

After the end of the dictatorship in 1974, the building ceased to function as a prison, and over time, the intention to transform it into a space dedicated to the preservation of memory solidified. The Aljube Museum, Resistance and Freedom was inaugurated in 2015, honoring all who fought for freedom and democracy in Portugal during the long period of the dictatorial regime. The museum preserves the history of the building itself and, through testimonies, documents, and reconstructions (such as those of the "curros" and the visiting room), it educates about repression, imprisonment, and the importance of resistance in achieving democratic values.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt