Spanish Civil War Tour in Barcelona
Jun 19th, 2017, 07:25 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,217
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Spanish Civil War Tour in Barcelona
This part of the trip report felt so important that I want to give it it's own post. We both are fascinated by history in all it's forms, and even if you aren't you may want to consider this one - it shines a light on our modern age in a way that most of us aren't exposed to. We had looked at doing a tour in Madrid, but the timing didn't work out and I'm glad we held out for this one. Nick Lloyd (a former Brit, now Barcelona resident) from Iberianature.com leads the 4+ hour tour http://iberianature.com/barcelona/hi...-in-barcelona/
The cost was 25E each and well worth every penny. We met our group at Zurich cafe at the top of the Ramblas - the ten plus people on this tour were all British or American, but he said he gets people from all over the world, many with personal connections to the struggle. One thing that was very nice in this heat was that there wasn't a lot of actual walking - maybe within a five square block area. We would walk to a location where something had happened, and then he would tell the story, show pictures and share the stories of the real people who took part. His passion and knowledge are extensive and he cares deeply that the world should know what happened here and why. He covered the background, the political currents and factions of the day, the progress of the war and why things happened, and showed oodles of photos. Every once in a while we would go to a cafe where the owner clearly was holding the space for him, order coffee or whatever and sit in the cool while the talk continued. At the end he shared the heartbreaking stories of what happened both to Catalunya and Barcelona and the people who fled over the pyranees only to end up in concentration camps in France, and the members of the International Brigade, a fourth of whom died in the war, and 3/4 of whom were dead by the end of WWII. It is a chilling story, and one I believe that has important lessons for our times (IMHO)
The cost was 25E each and well worth every penny. We met our group at Zurich cafe at the top of the Ramblas - the ten plus people on this tour were all British or American, but he said he gets people from all over the world, many with personal connections to the struggle. One thing that was very nice in this heat was that there wasn't a lot of actual walking - maybe within a five square block area. We would walk to a location where something had happened, and then he would tell the story, show pictures and share the stories of the real people who took part. His passion and knowledge are extensive and he cares deeply that the world should know what happened here and why. He covered the background, the political currents and factions of the day, the progress of the war and why things happened, and showed oodles of photos. Every once in a while we would go to a cafe where the owner clearly was holding the space for him, order coffee or whatever and sit in the cool while the talk continued. At the end he shared the heartbreaking stories of what happened both to Catalunya and Barcelona and the people who fled over the pyranees only to end up in concentration camps in France, and the members of the International Brigade, a fourth of whom died in the war, and 3/4 of whom were dead by the end of WWII. It is a chilling story, and one I believe that has important lessons for our times (IMHO)
Jun 19th, 2017, 11:40 AM
#5
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 227
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thank you for the trip report. I like the look of some of the other tours and hope to read tnrough a number of these blogs. I appreciate that in the walking and in the telling, one can bring the humanity back into this history, they just are hard on me. I try to limit my war history research, but realize one cannot ignore it if one wants to understand. I will have to keep it to private consumption...perhaps it small doses...
Jun 21st, 2017, 05:32 PM
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,217
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
and a postscript about visiting the town of Belchite which was left in ruins after the Civil War (in Aragon)
The most powerful moment of the day though was the town of Belchite. It was the site of several battles during the Civil War, and bombed by both sides and by the end there was nothing left of what had been a thriving rural community (at one time home to Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities living together in peace). We met a local guide there, a young woman whose grandmother was 4 years old at the time of the battle and who was forcibly relocated 400 miles away (the survivors had to walk the whole way). She told us the town's story, showing us where everything had happened, the ruined churches, the destroyed buildings, where the mass graves were, the wall where 200 men of the village were shot by the Nationalists, the atrocities committed by both sides. At the end Franco forbade the townspeople from returning to the town, using it as "anti-red" propaganda, and after his death the townspeople decided to leave it as a warning to humanity of the cost of war. It was a devastatingly powerful experience.
The most powerful moment of the day though was the town of Belchite. It was the site of several battles during the Civil War, and bombed by both sides and by the end there was nothing left of what had been a thriving rural community (at one time home to Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities living together in peace). We met a local guide there, a young woman whose grandmother was 4 years old at the time of the battle and who was forcibly relocated 400 miles away (the survivors had to walk the whole way). She told us the town's story, showing us where everything had happened, the ruined churches, the destroyed buildings, where the mass graves were, the wall where 200 men of the village were shot by the Nationalists, the atrocities committed by both sides. At the end Franco forbade the townspeople from returning to the town, using it as "anti-red" propaganda, and after his death the townspeople decided to leave it as a warning to humanity of the cost of war. It was a devastatingly powerful experience.
Jun 21st, 2017, 10:37 PM
#7
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,934
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
For me Plaça Sant Felip Neri is the heart of Barcelona, and not only for the tragic Civil War history, but also for the Gaudí links and medieval past. Seldom a so small place tells so much about such a big city: http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/...elip-neri.html
http://www.secretsofbarcelona.com/en...elip-neri.html
http://www.secretsofbarcelona.com/en...elip-neri.html
Jun 22nd, 2017, 05:41 AM
#9
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,934
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
And a great hotel there, have never had a better hotel experience than in Hotel Neri, the building is part 12th century and part 18th century: http://www.hotelneri.com/en/
