Espaço Memória e Fronteira

Espaço Memória e Fronteira is a museum situated in the town of Melgaço, in the district of Viana do Castelo, Portugal. The museum was inaugurated in April 2007, housed in a building that was previously a municipal slaughterhouse. The building underwent a complete remodel and expansion, adopting a modern architectural style.

Thematic Focus of the Museum

The Espaço Memória e Fronteira museum is dedicated to the history of Melgaço, focusing primarily on two significant themes in the lives of the locals. The first is the intense emigration that took place in the 1960s and 1970s, leading to a significant exodus and depopulation of the region. The second theme is the smuggling that served as a means of subsistence for many local families throughout the 20th century.

Exhibits and Displays at the Museum

Inside the Espaço Memória e Fronteira museum, visitors are taken on an interactive and expository journey through the past. The museum showcases a variety of objects, newspaper clippings, audio recordings, photographs, letters, official documents, and other records from that era. Notable exhibits include a batela, a boat used for clandestine crossings of the Minho river, an old guard desk with stamped and rejected passports, and 'bundles' of the main goods that were smuggled. There are also displays of ingenious inventions used to hide these goods in the vegetation or under clothing to evade the fiscal guard or the carabineros.