"Dedicate a museum to the genius of a neighbor. That is what the Municipality of A Peroxa has done, which already has its “Museo do Lebre” up and running. Thanks to a subsidy, a tourist office will open in the same building. Manuel Fernández Fernández, nicknamed “O Lebre das Casarizas”, was born in 1906 and died in 1997. He was a true visionary with a rebellious spirit, a characteristic very well summarized in the famous phrase “O Lebre, stay free”. An architect who stood out for his innovative capacity in the face of the challenges that the entry of industrial capitalism brought to the field.
In his workshop he made all the elements and tools he needed, as well as his own and his neighbors' farm implements. He watches, sewing machines, vehicles... he got engines and other components from old vehicles to put together new ones. He worked as a dentist (he made a dentist's drill), and was a blacksmith, stonemason, musician, transporter, watchmaker or mechanic, among other jobs.
This museum houses half a thousand exhibit pieces, almost all of them made by this multifaceted character, whom some call “O da Vinci da Peroxa”.
The idea of ??creating the Museum began in 2019, collecting all the information about Manuel, who had a workshop and a forge in his house. Based on this compilation, the work “adaptation of the premises and exhibition assembly of O Lebre: a life of machines and inventions” was put out to tender in 2020. This year the fully completed museum opened in February. During the A Peroxa enduro championship it received 50 visitors (A Peroxa, Coles, Arzúa, Salamanca, Outeiro de Rei...). Occasionally, guided tours have already been made under reservation, among which the one at the Rural Promotion Center - EFA of Fonteboa (Coristanco) stands out in the month of May.
And this July they have opened their doors permanently with a fixed schedule and with staff available to conduct guided tours outside of those hours, as long as you reserve in advance. Since July 3, it has received 27 visitors, all of them residents of A Peroxa, except two, from A Coruña.
In addition to the works designed by Manuel Fernández, thanks to a subsidy, a screen has been installed that projects a half-hour documentary. Lights have also been placed in the exhibitors, some videos and various design details."
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