Lebre Museum

Manuel Fernández Fernández, nicknamed ‘O Lebre das Casarizas’, was born in the village of As Casarizas (A Peroxa) in 1906 and died in 1997. He was a true visionary with a rebellious spirit, a characteristic well summed up in the famous phrase ‘O Lebre quérese libre’ (Literally: the jackrabbit wants to be free). A true craftsman who stood out for his innovative capacity in the face of the challenges that the penetration of industrial capitalism brought to agriculture. He was particularly active in the years leading up to the Civil War and, after the war, until the 1970s.

His nickname stemmed from his mother, as it was said that she was a very tall and beautiful woman, which is why she had many suitors who constantly sought out her company. When she felt the situation was too much for her, she would flee... like a jackrabbit.

He emerged as an outstanding individual, a loyal friend, hard worker, and a faithful believer in the unquestionable quality of rural life, despite the harshness of the times in which he lived. He built a forge-workshop in his basement, which would become his centre of operations for well over half a century.

There he fabricated all the elements and tools he needed for the workshop (motorised lathe, chuck, grinder, cylinders, screws, nuts, etc.), along with farming equipment for himself and also his neighbours. He repaired watches, sewing machines, vehicles, etc. Engines and other components from old vehicles were used to fix new ones. He did work we now give to specialists, including as a dentist, blacksmith, stonemason, musician, haulier, watchmaker, mechanic and even dowser. He also took care of the threshing in the area with his original threshing-cleaning machine.

More information in his biography