FAYON, a small town by the Ebro River in Aragon, is the site of an annual re-enactment of the Ebro battle. The superb museum in the town has halls full of large military equipment and thematic scenes.
Below are some photos and video I took at a re-enactment.
COMMEMORATION ON HILL 705
The scene of fierce fighting and a key position at the Battle of the Ebro, Hill 705 in the Sierra Pandols is the focus of an annual commemoration and has a monument and a number of memorial plaques.
SOME BARCELONA SITES
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Plaça Sant Felip Neri
Perhaps the most poignant reminder of the bombing attacks by the Nationalists on Barcelona can be experienced now in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona at Plaça Sant Felip Neri, where a darkness still seems to greet the visitor to the square. The pockmarked walls of the Baroque church bear the scars of two fascist bombs dropped on 30th January 1938 which resulted in 42 deaths, many of them children from the school next to the church. Francoists tried to cover up the atrocity by suggesting that the damage was the result of the execution of priests by anarchists
REFUGE 307
During the war hundreds of air raid shelters were built in Barcelona and Refuge 307 is one of those well preserved examples it is possible to visit some days which I did in 2018.
Dug into the bedrock of Montjuic in the Poble Sec area it had a capacity in its extensive tunnels for 2000 people. It had running water, benches, toilets and a small infirmary with bunk beds.
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SANTA MARIA DEL MAR
The basilica of Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona, also known as the "cathedral of La Ribera", was built by Berenguer de Montagut in just 55 years from 1329-1284 and is regarded as one of the most perfect examples of Gothic style architecture.
In 1936 anarchists set fire to it and all of its interior ornamentation was lost, including the Baroque altar and a large 18th century organ.
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Evidence of the fire can be seen on the stonework can still be seen below in the photos I took.
CASTELLDEFELS
About 20 km down the coast from Barcelona is the town of Castelldefels where the castle was used as a prison by the Republicans and the International Brigades to punish indiscipline and desertion. The conditions and treatment were dubious, with reports of torture and execution. Matthew Nicholls of Cardiff is listed as still being in Castelldefels in January 1939.
AROUND MADRID
VALLE DE LOS CAIDOS - VALLEY OF THE FALLEN
La Libertària
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La Libertària is a bar in the Raval district. Set out in 1930s style and run by ex-CNT members, the walls of La Libertària are full of posters and photos and women have a special place.
Monument to Francesc Macià
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The first President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, he held office from 1932 until he died in 1933.
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Placed in Plaça de Catalunyain 1991 it is a bronze bust of Macià in front of an inverted concrete staircase.
The staircase is unfinished to represent the ongoing history of Catalonia constructed day-by-day.
The Bombing of the City
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For two years from February 1937 Barcelona was bombed by the Italian Aviazione Legionaria flying from it base in Mallorca. Between 2,500 and 3,000 Barcelona residents were killed and and many more injured. With no radar there was little warning. A mixture of high explosive, incendiary bombs and anti-personnel devices were used.
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On the 17th March 1938 five planes bombed along the Gran Via which was packed with buses, trams and taxis and people on foot.. Tragically a lorry carrying four tons of high explosives was passing the Coliseum cinema along the street between c/ Balmes and Rambla de Catalunya and was hit. The blast destroyed almost an entire side of an Eixample block, though the cinema survived. 500 people died and 1000 were injured.
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