With the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI approaching in November, Albufeira Council has launched two exhibitions in commemoration.
Both are in the Espaço Multiusos de Albufeira. The first, roughly translated as 'Tears and mud... 14-18 through the eyes of a soldier,' has been created by the Portuguese-French association, Cívica, represented by Paulo Marques.
A parallel exhibition has been arranged by the Historical Archive of Albufeira which concentrates on those from the municipality who marched off to war and includes memories of soldiers' relatives.
The Cívica exhibition shows photographs from the trenches that are displayed using a 3-D technique.
The exhibition has the support of the French inter-ministerial committee for the 100th anniversary, the sponsorship of the Presidency of the Republic, the Ministry of Defence and the local council.
At the inauguration ceremony for the two exhibitions, Albufeira’s mayor, José Carlos Rolo, said he was especially pleased that the Council archive had been able to provide a part of the commemorative exhibition, especially as Rolo’s maternal Grandfather took part in WWI but in Mozambique rather than the trenches.
Paulo Marques said the exhibition had travelled to locations in Germany and France over the past four years, that it finishes in Albufeira and that the names of the 125 local soldiers who went to war are commemorated in the exhibition.
The material includes themes such as the role of women in the war, newspaper headlines and caricatures, life in the trenches, the battle of La Lys in April 1918 and the armistice at 11:00am, on November 11th, 1918.
The exhibition is free and can be seen from Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closes for lunch between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.) and at the weekend between 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., until October 31st.
