Museum of the Partisan Republic of Montefiorino

Museo della Repubblica partigiana di Montefiorino

In June 1944, partisans proclaimed the »Partisan Republic of Montefiorino« comprising seven municipalities. In 1979, a museum was opened in the castle of Montefiorino, the former seat of the partisan territory.

History

The resistance movement against the German occupation in North Italy gained strength after the Germans were defeated in the battle of Monte Cassino and the liberation of Rome in the spring of 1944. On June 17, 1944, partisans took hold of the medieval castle of Montefiorino, in the province of Modena. The castle had previously served as headquarters for the local Italian fascists. The partisans proclaimed the »Partisan Republic of Montefiorino«, which consisted of 7 municipalities and covered an area of approximately 600 km². According to a report for the command of the partisans compiled on July 17, 1944, there were 5,600 partisans and 50,000 civilians residing in the area at the time. Many of the locals had supported the partisans from the end of 1943 on. The provisional government was led by Mario Ricci, referred to as Armando. The heads of families in the various municipalities could freely elect the mayors of their towns. Under the municipal self-government, streets and bridges were repaired, food prices were set, trade relations with neighbouring towns were initiated, and a hospital was established. The republic was in contact with the Allies and served as a base for military operations. The judiciary set up its own tribunal which handed down several death sentences – many of which remain controversial to this day.
After about six weeks, between July 30 and August 1, 1944, the partisan republic was defeated by German troops and the village of Montefiorino was burned down. Though it only existed for a few weeks, the partisan republic was deemed historically and symbolically important for the partisan movement, both at the time and later. It represented a first attempt to occupy and self-govern Italian territory under German occupation, at that in an area that was in close vicinity to the »Gotenlinie«, the Germans' fortified line of defence.

Monchio, undated, The village after it was destroyed by German troops following the March 1944 massacre, Comune di Montefiorino

Montefiorino, undated, The castle which was destroyed by German troops after the partisan republic was toppled, Comune di Montefiorino

Victims

The museum commemorates all partisans and civilians who were murdered in »reprisal operations« under German occupation. The civilians who were murdered in Monchio, Susano and Costrignano on March 18, 1944, have a special place in the exhibition. Members of the 1st Paratroop Panzer Division »Hermann Göring« under the command of Kurt Christian von Loeben, assisted by members of the fascist »Republican National Guard«, murdered 136 defenceless people, including many women and children, in these municipalities of the Montefiorino region. The massacres spurred on a stronger resistance to the German occupation and played a crucial role in gaining active support for the later partisan republic.

In 1922 the Kingdom of Italy became a dictatorship under the »Duce« (leader) Benito Mussolini (1883–1945) and his fascist party. Until the mid-1930s there was barely any evidence of public anti-semitism in Italy; discriminatory measures were not introduced until 1938. At the time, around 46,000 Jews were living in Italy. During this period, the Italian state also included the Istrian peninsula and a number of islands that are now part of Greece, such as Rhodes, which had a Jewish community rich in tradition. The Italian government was a close ally of the German Reich but was not involved in the mass deportations of Jews to German extermination camps until autumn 1943. It was only following the occupation of the north of the country by the German Wehrmacht (the south had already been liberated by American and British troops) that the German SS and police began to implement plans to systematically deport the Italian Jews. The Jews were initially held in detention camps and then transported halfway across Europe to Auschwitz, where many were killed in the gas chambers on arrival. Between 7,000 and 8,500 Jews from Italy (excluding Italian-occupied territory) were murdered or died as a result of brutality. Tens of thousands of Italian Jews and Jewish refugees were able to survive by emigrating or going into hiding with the help of non-Jews. The Allied liberation of southern Italy spared over 2,000 Jews from deportation by the German regime. The period 1943 to 1945 saw violent conflicts between the German occupation forces and Italian partisans from the communist-dominated resistance movement »Resistenza«. German troops responded with horrific reprisal measures and massacres, for example in Marzabotto and in the Ardeatine Caves near Rome. More than 400,000 Italians – soldiers, civilians and partisans – died during the Second World War. Once the war was over, the partisan campaign became a key feature of Italian national identity and the Italian culture of memory cultivated the myth that the country had liberated itself from fascism. There was barely any confrontation with the widespread Italian support for Mussolini. The best-known sites of memory such as the former concentration camp at Risiera di San Sabba near Trieste or the memorials at Marzabotto and the Ardeatine Caves are dedicated to the resistance, as are many museums. However, there are few memorial sites at former detention camps for Jews and where these do exist they tend to commemorate the liberators rather than the victims. One example is Villa Emma in Nonatola, where Jewish children were able to survive in hiding. One feature linking many of these sites is their focus on human rights education for the present and future. In recent years, the memory of the deported and murdered Jews has become more prominent. In 2013, the Memoriale de la Shoah di Milano opened in Milan’s central railway station, and in 2023, the decision has been made to create a central holocaust memorial in Rome.

Remembrance

In the 1970s, after the restoration of the castle which had been burned down by the Germans, a group of academics, municipal representatives and members of partisan organisations jointly agreed to establish a »Museum of the Partisan Republic of Montefiorino« on the historic site. The museum was opened in 1979 and is currently run by the municipality of Montefiorino and the historical institute of Modena. Weapons, documents and objects of daily use from the partisan era are on display in the six exhibition rooms. Witness video testimonies as well as amateur recordings of the liberation of Modena and the activities of the partisans along the »Gotenlinie« are available to visitors. The exhibition also presents information about other zones liberated of German occupation in Northern Italy. The rooms can also by explored on a second, »poetic path«: Bolognese born poet Roberto Roversi compiled poems from letters of Italian resistance fighters who were sentenced to death, thereby giving the visitor a more personal approach to the historical events.
Located in Monchio, only a few kilometres away from Montefiorino, is the »Park of the Resistance«, in the middle of which stands a memorial to the victims of massacre that took place on March 18, 1944. It consists of 14 stone sculptures made by sculptors from Italy and abroad.

Montefiorino, 2007, Castle entrance, Virginia Gentilini

Montefiorino, 1944, Partisan group of the Bigi Brigade, Comune di Montefiorino

Possibilities

Library, teaching room, publication of a map showing the memorial sites of the »Partisan Republic of Montefiorino«

Open

Visit on appointment, regular opening hours on weekends and holidays: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Contact

http://www.resistenzamontefiorino.it

info@resistenzamontefiorino.it

+39 (0)536 962 811

Montefiorino, 2004, Interior of the museum, Comune di Montefiorino

Montefiorino, 2000, View of the medieval castle of Montefiorino, Comune di Montefiorino.

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