Political prison

Peniche Fortress (now the National Museum of Resistance and Freedom) was Portugal's most famous political prison during the dictatorship of António Salazar and the Estado Novo regime. From the 1930s until the 1974 Carnation Revolution, opponents of the government—trade unionists, communists, writers, and democracy activists—were imprisoned there. The secret police (PIDE) monitored, interrogated, and punished prisoners, often using isolation cells known as the "Segredo" ("The Secret"). �

The prison became famous for daring escapes, especially the 1960 escape of communist leader Álvaro Cunhal and others, which embarrassed the dictatorship.

After the 1974 Carnation Revolution overthrew the dictatorship, the political prisoners were released and the fortress eventually became a museum dedicated to resistance and freedom.Read more