Anápolis Railway Station

90 Years of a Place of Memory (and forgetting)

Abstract

The Anápolis Railway Station, inaugurated in 1935, symbolized the consolidation of the city as a commercial hub and icon of urban modernization driven by the Goiás Railway. This article critically examines its historical trajectory by articulating concepts of collective memory, heritage, and historical time, based on a qualitative methodology grounded in bibliographic review and documentary analysis. Drawing from theoretical contributions by Nora, Koselleck, Halbwachs, among others, the study explores how the station shifted from a symbol of progress to a mark of obsolescence, revealing a symbolic inversion shaped by changes in collective “horizons of expectation.” With the rise of the highway model and the decline of the railway network, the station was gradually abandoned, decharacterized, and marginalized, later being rediscovered as historical heritage. The analysis reveals that its continued presence in the urban landscape functions as a temporal palimpsest, condensing memories and forgetfulness, frustrated expectations, and cultural revaluations. The station is interpreted as a “place of memory” where narratives of progress and silences of modernity are in tension. The findings indicate that the building’s heritage value lies in its ability to embody both the railway peak and the transience of modern ideals. The article concludes that preserving the Anápolis Railway Station means safeguarding a symbolic arena where conflicting visions of the future confront each other, revealing the complex historical layers that shape the city’s urban identity.