Museum of Memory
MUSEUM OF MEMORY
In the immediate postwar period, thousands of Nazi survivors poured into Puglia. The allied forces, British and American, identified in the village of Santa Maria al Bagno, a seaside resort since ancient times, and in the localities of Cenate and Mondonuovo, the ideal places in which to set up a widespread reception camp.
Other fields were set up between Santa Maria di Leuca, Santa Cesarea Terme and Tricase Porto. Displaced Persons Camp n.34 in Santa Maria al Bagno, the largest, was active from the end of 1943 to July 1947 and hosted thousands of Jews.
Established thanks to the commitment of APME - Associazione Pro Murales Ebraici, which has carried out an intense work of promotion and recovery of memories since the 1980s, the Museum, owned by the municipality, was built on a project by Luca Zevi and inaugurated in 2009. Already in January 2005 the City of Nardò had been awarded the gold medal for civil merit by the President of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. The Museum preserves historical testimonies of international importance and welcomes visitors from all over the world.
Overlooking the suggestive bay of Santa Maria al Bagno, part of the Municipality ofNardò, the Museum of Memory and Hospitality tells a story of rebirth, integration and solidarity.
Murals
The Hall of "History" houses the original murals painted by Zvi Miller, a Jewish-Romanian artist who stayed in Camp no. 34. Unique in their kind, they are characterized by their high documentary value, being the only graphic testimony existing in Europe by the Aliyah Bet, of the journey that after the war led the Jewish survivors to the Promised Land.
Documentary Exhibition
The “Stories” room hosts a permanent photographic exhibition, objects and documents that project the visitor into what life was like in the Campo. A finally normal and serene life, characterized by respect and integration between different cultures, religions and languages. Documentary videos transmitted in loop offer the visitor a further moment of study.
Museum Opening Hours | 2019
From Monday to Friday 10.30-13.00 (last admission)
Tuesday and Thursday 10.30-13.00 | 17.00-19.00 (last admission)
Sunday 17.30-19.30 (last admission)
Average visit duration: 50 minutes.
The Museum can be visited by appointment also at other times.
Info and reservations: Tel. 39 3804739285
Full ticket € 5.00 - Reduced ticket € 3.00 (children and students) - Free up to 11 years.
