A PERFECT WEEKEND ACTIVITY FOR KIDS & ADULTS
JOSÉ FRANCO MODEL VILLAGE: AN OPEN AIR ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM
José Franco Typical Village (Aldeia Típica José Franco, or shortly Aldeia Saloia), is a model village located in Sobreiro, a small town located between Ericeira and Mafra.
The history of the model village starts with birth of a potter in 1920, José Franco; hence the name of the village.
Jose Franco, was the son of a shoemaker father and a dishwasher mother who sold clay products from door to door. Coming from a humble family with 16 children, Jose Franco had to drop out of school at an early age to start working.
Growing up in Sobreiro, an important center for pottery, he was quite familiar with pottery. So he started working as an apprentice to two local master potters before working on his own at the age of 17.
He rehabilitated his grandfather’s long inactive pottery workshop, and started producing his own craftwork, selling them at the door of his small pottery and at the popular festivals and fairs of the region, transporting them on the back of a donkey.
At his 60s, he started chasing a beautiful dream of his: To honour the local people of his land by creating a replica of his childhood village with an ethnographic character. And he did it.
Not only a beautiful example of cultural and historical heritage, the Village also serves as a “theme-park” offering many playground installations for the children to learn while playing in a “make-believe” way.
In this miniature Portuguese village you can find:
Replicas of old shops, workshops and living spaces meticulously decorated and furnished with real objects where customs and labor activities of the village life in Mafra of Jose Franco’s childhood are reanimated;
Many playgrounds dedicated to children, full of miniature houses and inhabitants portraying village life with all aspects: carpentry, chapels, windmills, schools, pharmacy, grocery stores, wineries, peasants and even a reproduction of the fishing village of Ericeira and the crafts linked to the sea.
Some shops are not only replicas, but they also function as a real shop. So don’t be surprised if you see a cue in front of the bakery that sells “pão com chouriço” (bread with chorizo, a typical, traditional Portuguese snack) which is many people’s favourite. And make sure to stop by at the cellar to try local wine and to buy clay products from the shop of this village of this famous Portuguese ceramist whose works can be found even in Vatican.
As a benefactor of the community, José Franco allowed entrance to the village for free; a tradition that still goes on even after his death in 2009.
Today, this small world that exhibits rich artisanal culture of Mafra is visited by thousands every year, where Jose Franco’s dedication to the traditional craft of pottery, among other noble crafts that are illustrated in the village; most of which are long forgotten, is appreciated.
Aldeia Típica José Franco
Contacts:
Estrada Nacional 116, n.º 34, Sobreiro
2640-401 Mafra (Get Directions)
Phone: (+351) 261 815 420
Email: aldeiatipicajfranco@sapo.pt
Schedule:
Summer – 09h30 to 19h00
Winter – 09h30 to 18h00
Free admission
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