Museum of Memory Shoah

The Shoah Memorial Museum of Villa Contarini Giovanelli Venier, in Vo’ Vecchio, is a place of reflection and testimony that preserves the memory of the dramatic events that took place between 1943 and 1944, when the villa was used as a concentration camp for Jews from the provinces of Padua and Rovigo under the Repubblica Sociale Italiana — the first concentration camp established in Italy.

Set up on the ground floor of the building, the museum preserves some of the original spaces, including the remains of the kitchens used by the internees. Historical panels, documents, and testimonies recount the stories of the people detained here, who were later deported to the Risiera di San Sabba and subsequently to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The exhibition path invites visitors to reflect on persecution, responsibility, and memory, placing local history within the broader context of the European Shoah. The museum is not only an exhibition space, but also a place of civic education and awareness, designed for schools, citizens, and all those who wish to understand and remember.