World

New centre dedicated to Estado Novo opens in Santa Comba Dão

An interpretative centre examining Portugal's dictatorship and resistance has opened in the birthplace of Salazar, housed in a former model school.

24 October 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

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Archive photo: New centre dedicated to Estado Novo opens in Santa Comba Dão — Archive photoPhoto: Jmvicent · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The Centro Interpretativo do Estado Novo – Regime and Resistance inaugurated on Friday in Santa Comba Dão, Viseu, occupying the Escola Cantina Salazar located in Vimieiro. The school functioned as a model school during the Estado Novo period.

The centre is under the scientific coordination of Associação Ephemera, founded by Pacheco Pereira. According to Observador, a state secretary stated at the ceremony that "studying dictatorship is a responsibility of democracy".

The opening takes place in a location laden with historical significance: Santa Comba Dão was the birthplace of António de Oliveira Salazar, Portugal's dictator. The centre is dedicated to studying a regime that lasted 48 years, according to RTP.

An exhibition on censorship forms part of the centre's initial programming, with the space now open to the public. The institution has been described as austere, both in its building and its presentation.

The centre's opening project has become entangled in controversy, according to multiple reports. The project has a history spanning nearly two decades of discussion before its realisation.

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