The Real Story Of Valongo Sanatorium(Sanitório de Valongo)

The Valongo Sanatorium, also known as the Montalto Sanatorium or Monte Alto Sanatorium, was a TB treatment facility in the old parish of Sao Pedro de Cova Gondomar, Portugal. Despite its location, it is more often known as the Valongo Sanatorium.

The sanatorium only lasted a few years, opening in 1958 and closing in 1975, after which it fell into decay. Proposals to convert the building into a youth hostel were made in 1998 and 2001, but were both rejected by Parliament. The Valongo Sanatorium was built during a period of government efforts to eradicate TB, which was a major issue in Portugal at the time. This period started in 1899 with the establishment of the National Institute for Tuberculosis Care, which initiated the building of multiple sanatoriums around the nation. In 1930, Antonio Elisio Lopez Rodriguez established the Tuberculosis Care Institute of the north of Portugal to combat tuberculosis. Plans were made to build a sanatorium to house patients from the region with limited economic resources.

The Sierra de Santa Husta was selected because the air was cleaner and it was also distant from metropolitan areas, lowering the danger of disease. Shortly thereafter, the Saw family donated property in the Sierra de Santa Yusta, allowing construction to begin in 1932. 2. However, construction was halted owing to a shortage of finance, but was restarted with the help of the local populace. On July 5th, 1940, the AT&P started constructing the Casa de Nosa Senora da Concession to help the children of the sanatorium patients. According to the Diario Popular of January 3rd, 1956, final work and equipment of the sanitorium were well underway, with completion scheduled for the following year and a capacity of 350 beds.

However, the work was finally finished in 1958. The Sao Pedro de Cova mining companies objection to the buildings installation in a coal mining region located a few kilometers away may have contributed to the delay in construction. However, at the time of the Sanatorium's opening, mining activities were nearing the end of their life cycle, which terminated in 1970. Some of the. Hospitals patients were mine workers who had occupational ailments including TB and silicosis.

The Monte Alto Sanatorium, which opened on November 1st, 1958, was the last to open in Portugal. The inaugural event featured A devotional service in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Sick, the laying of a memorial plaque and homage to the League of Combatants of the First World War, and a Port of honour from the Sanatorium's administration. During the event, the entrance and housing of the first customers. All of whom were World War One veterans took place. Although it was intended for 300 patients, its original capacity was just 50 beds and throughout its existence it grew to house 350 people. In the early 1970s, more control over TB was obtained and it was treated differently via the outpatient system.

As a consequence, the sanatoriums became obsolete and were progressively abandoned or repurposed. The Montalto Sanatorium shutdown started in 1972 as the number of TB patients in the Porto district decreased. At the time, the building only had a few patients and there were intentions to convert it into a mental hospital or for soldiers returning from abroad. But this never happened. After the sanatorium closed, Casa Nosa Senora de Concessao became a day school and no longer offered boarding services. The building was abandoned following the revolution of April 25th, when the final employee fled. However, it was only formally shuttered in 1975. Following its closure, it was fully robbed with one of the primary reasons being its association with the Estado Novo.

Since it was mostly constructed and utilized during that era. This relationship to the Estado Novo also had a detrimental influence on fund raising, making it hard to complete structural repairs. It was also utilized as a training facility for firemen and civil protection personnel who conducted exercises and demolished several walls. The sanatorium was eventually utilized for paintball games and picture shoots as well As for supernatural activities and rituals.

The structure was also subjected to multiple fires, which accelerated its demise. On December 3rd, 1998, the Portuguese Communist Party proposed a package of investment suggestions as part of the nations general charges, including the restoration and renovation of the Montalto sanatorium into a youth hostel. However, these plans were defeated in the Assembly of the Republic owing to opposition from the Socialist Party as well as abstentions from the Social Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Center Popular Party.

On November 22nd, 2001, the Portuguese Communist Party made a similar proposal, which was similarly not accepted. In the mid 2000 tens, the Association for tuberculosis patients in the north of Portugal launched A conservation program with the goal of cleaning the buildings and surrounding areas as well as sealing off the most dangerous areas in order to improve the sanatorium's image and the safety conditions for visitors. You typically go up to the highest floor, which offers a panoramic view of Porto and Villa del Conde. At the time, the association's leaders, Carlos Pizarro and Claudio Alvez, intended to renovate the sanatorium complex, most likely by converting it into a tourist and health institution in order to create jobs and benefit the Gondomar community.

In 2016, the Instituto Superior de Engenharia del Porto planned a research to find the optimum use for the building. At the time, an application for the FUTURO 100,000 Auto Borders initiative together with the Raiden Natura 2000 program was also. And. Despite help from the town of Gondomar and the Uniao das Fargesia Stefanz series E, San Pedro da Cova, the buildings advanced condition of deterioration pampered repair efforts. I

n October 2017, a forest fire broke out in Serra de Santa Husta, threatening the Valongo sanatorium complex. In March 2019, the parquet that set us to Porto and the Gondomar City Council held a ceremony to plant 118 native trees near the sanatorium in honor of the International Day of Forests.