Museu do Aljube Resistência e Liberdade

Located in Lisbon, the Museu do Aljube Resistência e Liberdade is dedicated to preserving the memory of the struggle against the Portuguese dictatorship and the resistance movements that fought for freedom and democracy. Housed in a former political prison, the museum offers a comprehensive exhibition covering the period from 1926 to 1974, including the rise and fall of fascism, censorship, clandestine press, and the anti-colonial struggle. Visitors can explore archaeological remains, a memorial to political prisoners, and temporary exhibitions that delve into various aspects of Portugal’s history. The museum also provides educational programs and guided tours to engage visitors in critical reflection on the past and its relevance to contemporary society.

Planning your visit

The Aljube was a prison. Under the Estado Novo, the authoritarian regime that governed Portugal from 1933 to 1974, it held political prisoners in cells including the curros — solitary cells so small a person could not lie down — before they were moved to Caxias or Peniche or the camp at Tarrafal in Cape Verde.

The museum, opened in 2015 in the building itself, covers the dictatorship from 1926: the censorship apparatus, the PIDE secret police, the clandestine press, the colonial wars in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea, the resistance, and the Carnation Revolution of 25 April 1974 that ended it almost bloodlessly, with soldiers carrying flowers in their rifle barrels.

Portugal's dictatorship lasted longer than Spain's or Italy's and is far less known internationally, which makes this museum genuinely useful for visitors.

It stands beside the cathedral in Alfama, on a street most tourists walk down without noticing.

Bookable options include guided walking tours incorporating the museum. Current availability is listed below.