The Government presents the Public Contest for the Resignification of the Cuelgamuros Valley | Spain

The Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, has presented the Public Contest for Resignification on Tuesday on Tuesday Del Co -gamuros Valley, formerly known as the Valley of the Fallen. The call to remodel what was Francisco Franco’s tomb was launched on Monday by the Ministry of Housing and estimate that it will last about six months. Towers He has declared that they seek « a resignification of space » and « that becomes an emblem of the defense of democracy. » To do this, the projects must take care of the restoration of “the elements of the monumental complex that will be used”, include an interpretation center and a musealization proposal. All this adjusting to the budget of 30 million euros that the government has tendered for this issue.

On the website of the tender of the contest, it is indicated that the scope of action This includes the basilica, the entrance formed by 20 arches, the esplanade and the cross.

The press release of the presentation of the contest indicates that the project “provides a triple opportunity”. First, it recovers « a space that is from the entire Spanish society », oriented to be resignified « from a plural, inclusive and contemporary look. » It also « generates an international reference » that reveals that architecture and art « can act as memory tools. » Finally, « guarantees the conservation of a neglected architectural set. »

The ideas contest is set in other historical memory monuments such as references to carry out the intervention. Specifically, they refer to Berlin Holocaust Memorial. « As in the Berlin case, architecture becomes a tool at the service of conciliation and collective memory, capable of transforming places marked by history into learning scenarios, meeting and projection towards the future, » explains the Ministry of Housing in a press release.

The Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory (ARMH) He has sent a letter to the government in which he requests the withdrawal of the contest. Its president, Emilio Silva, believes that spending more than thirty million euros to resignify the valley « is totally unnecessary and lack of respect when in Spain they still do not identify thousands of disappeared by Franco’s repression. » In a press release, he explains that « the only thing that place needs is a historical explanation » that interprets its history, architecture and ornamentation, « full of fascist national propaganda. »

On the comparison with the Berlin monument, Silva considers that it is « selling an optical effect. » He points out that there are fundamental differences, such as his geographical position – the memorial to the victims of the Holocaust is in the center of the German capital, while the valley is more than 40 kilometers from Madrid. In addition, he denounces that « he intends to honor all the victims of the Civil War as if it were the same to support a coup d’etat than try to prevent it. »

One of the points that has generated the most friction between the government and ecclesiastical associations has been the presence of the Benedictine community that manages the valley. On March 27, it was revealed that, against the criteria that the Executive has had in the last five years, The monks will remain in the monumental complex. Sources from the Ministry of Presidency declared El País that « there was no alternative » and that, as a counterpart, they achieved the permission of the clergy to launch the contest for remodeling. Relay was also agreed by Prior Santiago Cantera, the custodian of Franco’s tomb until his exhumation in 2019 and Profranchist ideology, which left the valley on April 10.

The Benedictine community assumed in 1958 the control of the Foundation of the Santa Cruz del Valle, created a year earlier « to pray to God by the souls of the dead in the national crusade, impetrate the blessings of the Most High for Spain and work for the knowledge and implementation of peace among men on the basis of Christian social justice. » The Democratic Memory Law declared this “extinguished” association and established that the new entity will be constituted by a royal decree that, three years later, has not been raised. Executive sources have pointed out that on Tuesday “it has been decided to create a technical team” that develops the new agency.