Coimbra, Portugal, 2010.

Portugal dos Pequenitos is meant for kids. But, dammit, the second Tali, Stephanie and I heard about it, we wanted to go play, too!

“Portugal for the Little Ones” is thought to be the country’s first theme park. It’s the brainchild of professor Bissaya Barreto who aimed to educate youngsters about their country, colonies and culture with fun exhibits sized just for them. Architect Cassiano Branco designed miniature versions of famous monuments, buildings and traditional homes down to every last elaborate detail. The result is a truly a kids’ world, one where adults would have to squat down and duck-walk uncomfortably to join in the fun.

The park first let down its drawbridge in 1940, while Europe and the rest of the world were eyeballs-deep in World War II. Portugal was seven years into its “New State” regime, a dictatorship led by two Antónios—Carmona and Salazar. Portugal dos Pequenitos was the perfect avenue to instill a spirit of nationalism, pride and (hopefully) political obedience in the youngest members of society.

After years of turmoil, heartache and the demise of the dictatorship, the little park still stood. And while the number of visitors has dropped, it remains a well-loved, charming off-the-beaten-path attraction for tourists and a regular field-trip stop for schoolkids.

We visited in 2010 on a weekday when school was in session. And lucky for us. We likely would have been shoving kids out of the way to get to the fun stuff and best photo ops.

With our first glimpse, we knew we were in for all kinds of awesome. For starters, the ticket counter is in a castle, complete with turrets and caped trumpeters to welcome you in.

Walk through the castle door and you’ll instantly feel like Gulliver landing in Lilliput. It’s a little, tiny city! Each structure is brightly painted and shaded by tall palms and other trees. And, despite being 70 years old, this place looks great.

The first section of the park features buildings dedicated to all of Portugal’s colonies, including Macau, East Timor and India:

Brazil’s display was especially amusing. Walk in the door and you’re on the bow of a ship. In front of you is a giant screen with LEGO-like cartoon “explorers” pointing off to land in the distance. That’s right—you’re “discovering” Brazil with these little animated seafarers! Tali and I could not get enough of it (Stephanie was not as thrilled).

The center portion is dedicated to Portugal’s most famous structures and monuments, representing every region of the country.

The detail was almost inconceivable. Check out the mini-version of the University of Coimbra (founder Barreto’s home base):

The back of the park is dedicated to kid-size models of traditional Portuguese homes and a lovely green space.

The “castle” also includes a very nice museum filled with dolls, including the largest collection of Barbie dolls in Portugal (possibly Europe). And this miniature caveman William H. Macy:

This diminutive Disneyland may have had questionable motives when it opened (pure speculation, but very possible given the time period), but that doesn’t make this step back in time any less enchanting and, well, educational for kids grande and pequeno.