The Casa da Memória of Guimarães is a center of interpretation and knowledge that exposes, through the exhibition Territory and Community, various perspectives of the memory of a place. Located in the old plastic factory Pátria, in Av. Conde Margaride, is a place where citizens of Guimarães share and reflect on their roots, traditions and memories. Casa da Memória brings together a set of stories, documents, facts and objects enabling us to get to know different aspects of the community from Prehistory to the Dawn of Portugal’s Nationhood, from Rural Societies and Festivities to the Industrialization of the Ave River Valley and Contemporary Times.
Casa da Memória is located in a former industrial facility which housed the Fábrica de Plásticos Pátria (plastics factory), a Guimarães-based industry with tradition in the manufacture of combs, hairpins, headbands and other plastic objects, such as small toys and household items. Architects Miguel P. Guedes de Carvalho and José Carlos Melo Dias were entrusted with the old Fábrica Pátria building’s remodeling project design, which was aimed at transforming the venue to Casa da Memória. The industrial ruins were adapted to a new use, considering that the building’s architecture contains the site’s historical memory, which must be preserved.
Through the several maps of the land area of Guimarães, shown in the exhibition Territory and Community, the visitors can see how Guimarães has been built up over the centuries.
Expert opinion of Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform
This is a positive example of valorization of a cultural heritage asset that after its transformation offers original interpretation of heritage and thus enhances visitors’ experience. The practice can serve as an inspiration for other cities motivated to conserve and valorize their cultural heritage assets and present their heritage to visitors in an original way.
