MEMORIAL SITES OF THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR AND EXILE AND PLACES OF TRANSIT FOR THE RETREAT IN THE GIRONA
The following list – not exhaustive but representative – is a geographical description in alphabetical order of the memorial sites of Republican exile in the Girona Pyrenees. Some of them are signposted and visited by thousands of people every year. The
Having been the main site of the Republican exile, the immediate territorial area and the counties closest to MUME are an especially vibrant setting for different routes and, therefore, an area of expansion of the MUME museum project.
By way of information, the Memorial Democràtic and the Regional Council of Alt Empordà, in collaboration with MUME, have signposted a series of memorial sites of the Civil War and exile in Alt Empordà under the name of Retreat and Exile Routes of Alt Empordà (2009).
Agullana (Alt Empordà)
Coll de la Manrella. Place of transit for the Retreat (1939)
Coll de la Manrella. Monument to Lluís Companys (1981)
Mas Perxés (headquarters of the Generalitat and deposit for works of art)
School (ministerial headquarters)
“La Concòrdia” (provisional hospital)
Can Parellada (residence of the Republican General Vicente Rojo)
Can Bech (headquarters of the Republican Staff)
Can Bech de Baix (occasional residence of J. Negrín)
Signalisation of Memorial Democràtic (2009) and Bibliobús of Institució de les Lletres Catalanes (1939)
Coll de Manrella Mas Perxés
Albanyà (Alt Empordà)
Hostal de la Muga. Place of transit for the Retreat (1939) to Custoja and Sant Llorenç de Cerdans
Access road heavily used by anti-Franco guerrillas (Maquis) between 1939 and 1970
Argelaguer (Garrotxa)
Pla de Tapioles (Argelaguer-Tortellà). Republican aerodrome
Place of transit for the Retreat (1939) to Custoja and Sant Llorenç de Cerdans
Arles-sur-Tech (Vallespir)
Retreat memorial (1989)
Provisional concentration camps
Argelès-sur-Mer (
Argelès-sur-Mer concentration camp memorial
Banyuls-sur-Mer (
Memorial to escaped prisoners in
Coll de Banyuls. Place of transit for the Retreat (1939)
Camprodon (Ripollès)
Place of transit for the Retreat (1939) to Prats de Molló and Arles-sur-Tech
Torre Garcia, occasional residence of Negrín
Cantallops (Alt Empordà)
Coll de l’Auleda and Coll Forcat to Le Perthus. Place of transit for the Retreat (1939)
Mas Bell-lloc
Trenches and Francoist defence system of the “Gran Guardia” (1939-1945)
Capmany (Alt Empordà)
Bunkers of the Francoist defence system of the “Organización Defensiva Pirineos” (1939-1945).
Celrà (Gironès)
Celrà-Bordils aerodrome (the most important, together with Banyoles, in the
Ceret (Vallespir)
Château d’Aubry (Temporary store for the artistic treasure on its way to
Cerbère (
SNCF railway station memorial (2005)
Coll dels Belitres memorial (FFREEE, 2006)
Coll dels Belitres exile memorial in (Memorial Democràtic, 2009)
Colera (Alt Empordà)
Railway bridge (Francoist military objective during the war, 1936-1939)
Collioure (
Collioure Castle-Prison for political prisoners (1939)
Tomb of Antonio Machado
Residencia Quintana (Antonio Machado’s hostel)
Custoja (Vallespir)
1939 border crossing
Retreat memorial (1989)
Darnius (Alt Empordà)
Mas de Can Descalç
Mas Can
Cal Sot
Le Barcarès (
Le Barcarès concentration camp memorial (dedicated to the foreign forces recruited in the Second War World in 1939)
Le Perthus (Vallespir)
Border crossing (1939)
Football field (weapons deposit 1939)
Retreat memorial (2006)
Le Boulou (
Railway station (departure place for women and children to the centre and north of
Republican Army weapons and vehicles deposit (1939)
Elne (
Esponellà (Pla de l’Estany)
Martís (Serinyà, Esponellà and Porqueres) Republican aerodrome
Air-raid shelter (Centenys)
Espolla (Alt Empordà)
Coll de Banyuls. Place of transit for the Retreat (1939)
Coll de La Massana. Place of transit during the War and the Retreat (1936-1939)
Memorial to the Maquis Celedonio García Casino “Celes” and Enrique Martínez Marín “Quique”, of the group of the guerrilla leader Facerias, who died on 26th August 1949 at Coll de
Coll de Banyuls
Figueres (Alt Empordà)
Saint Ferran Castle (military site partially blown up in 1939 / deposit of works of art during the Retreat / headquarters of the last meeting of the Republican Parliament)
Memorial in carrer de La Jonquera (2009)
Figueres-Cabanes Republican aerodrome
Air-raid shelters (plaça del Gra, Teatre Jardí, etc.)
Air-raids during the War and the Retreat (military objective / 230 deaths)
Organisation centre for the entry of International Brigades (1936-1938)
Prisoner classification and distribution centre (La Carbonera, 1939-1942)
War dead memorial (municipal cemetery)
Memorial to those from Empordà who died in the Nazi concentration camps (municipal cemetery)
Fortià (Alt Empordà)
Fortianell Farm-School (shelter for children evacuated from
Garriguella (Alt Empordà)
Vilajuïga-Garriguella aerodrome
Francoist-German memorial (1939). Commemorative plaque to the German aviator of the Condor Legion Friedrich Windemuth, shot down on 6th February 1939 over Garriguella aerodrome by the Republican pilot Josep Falcó, flying a Chato.
Francoist bunkers and defence systems (1939-1945)
Girona (Gironès)
Air-raid shelters (Nursery, plaça Poeta Marquina, etc.)
Place of transit during the Retreat (1939)
Francoist prison in the Seminary
Francoist monolith (commemoration of the “First Fallen”, carrer Heroïnes de Sta. Bàrbara)
Francoist monument in plaça Diputació (currently removed)
Francoist monument to the 4th Navarre Division (1945, municipal cemetery)
Francoist memorials to “Those Who Fell for God and Country” (municipal cemetery)
Memorial to people from Girona who died as a result of Francoist repression (mass grave / municipal cemetery)
Memorial to people from Girona who died in Nazi concentration camps (municipal cemetery)
La Jonquera (Alt Empordà)
Coll del Perthus border crossing. Main place of transit during the Retreat (1939)
Francoist bunkers and defence systems (1939-1945)
La Manera (Vallespir)
Coll de Malrem (Beget). Place of transit during the Retreat (1939)
Camí de Coll de Malrem
La Tallada (Baix Empordà)
Canet Republican aerodrome
La Vajol (Alt Empordà)
En Negrín Mine (1937)
Coll de Lli. Place of transit during the Retreat (1939)
Can Barris (headquarters of the Presidency of the Republic during the Retreat)
Generalitat memorial (1979 and 1989)
Amical de Mauthausen memorial (1986)
Fundación Sabino Arana memorial (2001)
Exile monument (2000)
Coll de Lli
L’Escala (Alt Empordà)
Air-raid with 15 dead during the Retreat (
Francoist bunkers and defence systems (1939-1945)
Llançà (Alt Empordà)
Casa Marly (libertarian children’s shelter during the war; Ascaso-Durruti Colonia)
Place of transit during the Retreat (1939)
Francoist bunkers and defence systems (1939-1945)
Llers (Alt Empordà)
Explosion of arsenals during the Republican Retreat (1939)
Maçanet de Cabrenys (Alt Empordà)
Border crossing through Les Salines and Tapis to Céret and Custoja. Place of transit during the Retreat (1939)
Memorial to the Maquis who died at Mas de
Maureillas-las-Illas (Vallespir)
Border crossing from Coll de Lli (La Vajol). Place of transit during the Retreat (1939)
Memorial to the fighter for the Republic
Hostal dels Trabucaires – Memorial to the Presidents Azaña, Companys and Aguirre on their way to exile
Molló (Ripollès)
Border crossing (Coll d’Ares and Coll Pregon). Place of transit during the Retreat (1939)
Mont-Louis (Conflent)
Castle-prison. Concentration camp for the 26th Brigade.
Olot (Garrotxa)
Deposits for Catalan art during the Retreat. Place of transit during the Retreat (1939)
Creu
Francoist monument to “Those Who Fell for God and Country” in Olot cemetery (1941)
Palol de Revardit (Pla de l’Estany)
Mas Borrell (place of shelter for forest dwellers)
La
Mas Clarà de la Mota (ambush of the Maquis Francesc Sabaté Llopart, “Quico”, 1959)
Peralada (Alt Empordà)
Perpignan (
Mass grave at the
Memorial to Lluís Companys at the
Les Haras (refugee concentration and transit camp)
Pont de Molins (Alt Empordà)
Can Tretze Gully, between Pont de Molins and Les Escaules (murder of the Bishop of Teruel, Anselmo Polanco, and other military leaders of Teruel and 40 Italian prisoners by Republican forces retreating towards the border)
Francoist monument at the Can Tretze Gully (built by Republican prisoners of war, 1940)
Portbou (Alt Empordà)
Border crossing to Cerbère. Place of transit during the Retreat (1939)
International railway station
Exile memorial (Memorial Democràtic, 2009)
Francoist memorial to the 4th Navarre Division (1945, signposted in 2009)
Francoist bunkers and defence systems (1939-1945)
Signalisation of Memorial Democràtic in Coll dels Belitres and Portbou (2009)
Sculpture Installation Passagen - Dani Karavan (Portbou, 1994)
Port-Vendres (Rousssillon)
Cemetery memorial (in memory of hospital boats and the refugees who died in them)
Prades (Conflent)
Residence of
Prats de Molló (Vallespir)
Coll d’Ares border crossing. Place of transit during the Retreat (1939)
Coll d’Ares memorial (Prats Endavant, 2002)
1939 provisional concentration camps (summer camp, Le Cendrou camp, school, etc.)
Gracia Family memorial, symbol of exile (shepherds’ hut; Prats Endavant, 2008)
Exile Memorial of Coll d'Ares and Republicain Fighters Memorial of Prats de Molló
Puigcerdà (Cerdanya)
Bourg-Madame border crossing. Place of transit during the Retreat (1939)
Osseja provisional concentration camp (Cerdanya)
Py y Mantet (Conflent)
Camprodon and Setcases border crossing. Place of transit during the Retreat (1939)
Rivesaltes (
Marshall Joffre concentration camp memorial (underway, 2007–2012)
Concentration camp (1939-41)
Saint-Cyprien (
Memorial to Lluís Companys
Memorial of the former concentration camp (1982)
Concentration camp cemetery memorial
Saint-Laurent-de-Cerdans (Vallespir)
Provisional concentration camp 1939
Sta. Maria de la Sort Chapel (exiles’ shelter)
Retreat memorial (1997)
Sant Miquel de Campmajor (Pla de l’Estany)
El Collell Sanctuary (16th-19th centuries) (centre of military instruction, confiscated in 1936 and Fascist prison, called “Preventori L”, which had up to 1,300 interns, in 1938)
Francoist memorial in commemoration of the murder of 48 prisoners on
Francoist commemorative memorial of the death of Peter Ernst Harald Ullman Ekwall (1940)
Mas Les Carreres (shelter until the arrival of the Francoist Army of Jesús Pascual, who narrated the events in Yo fuí asesinado por los rojos, published in 1981)
Vidreres (Selva)
Aerodrome and Can Vall-llosera air-raid shelter
Vilajuïga (Alt Empordà)
Place of transit during the Retreat (1939)
Aerodrome during the Civil War (Garriguella-Vilajuïga)
Hotel for refugee children during the Civil War (Gran Hotel Central)
