When people talk about walls, many people immediately remember the Berlin Wall. It was a historic wall, as it divided Germany into two parts for almost three decades. In Portugal there was also a wall, whose history has nothing to do with that of the Berlin wall, other than the fact that it is a historic wall, but 300 years old. It was recently destroyed and caught the population off guard. The City Hall has already admitted the error.
In the historic heart of Évora, an 18th century wall was demolished without authorization from the Public Institute of Cultural Heritage (IPPC). It all happened at the beginning of November and the population was taken by surprise. The Évora City Council carried out the demolition due to the risk of collapse, but after all it was a 300-year-old wall, as stated by the .
The City Council assumes that there was a “communication failure” during the process and the mayor, Carlos Pinto de Sá, acknowledged that “there was, in fact, a failure in the municipal services and, naturally, as mayor, I assume this situation.” This is because the wall, although dating from the 18th century, was assessed by experts as devoid of relevant historical or heritage elements.
Carlos Pinto de Sá is currently analyzing the entire situation with the Public Institute of Cultural Heritage (IPPC) and has promised to work on any replacement or repair needs with the owner, a hotel unit in Travessa da Palmeira.
As for the population, opinions are divided. While there are those who mention that this wall “was a danger to everyone, no one cared to know until it was demolished”, there are also those who have criticized this irregular process.
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