L'Hospitalet de l'Infant, a town in Tarragona, has expanded its cultural route inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's 'The Little Prince' with three new sculptures along its seafront promenade. Unveiled on Saturday, the new artworks depict a fox, a rose, and a boa constrictor digesting an elephant, all iconic elements from the beloved story.
Each sculpture features an information panel with a quote related to the depicted element and QR codes. These codes allow visitors to listen to fragments of the book in four languages. Pupils from the local Mestral school's fifth and sixth primary classes recorded the audio, adding a participatory and educational element to the initiative.
Connecting Author and Town
The cultural itinerary draws inspiration from an emergency landing made by Saint-Exupéry in the town in 1932. During a flight between Marseille and Alghero, strong 'mestral' winds forced his small plane to land on one of the municipality's beaches. The local council has recently documented this historical episode through local research and newspaper archives.
Following this discovery, the town council launched an artistic route to highlight the connection between the author and L'Hospitalet de l'Infant. One of the first installations was a sculpture by artist David Callau, located in Plaça dels Pins, which shows the protagonist standing on a globe.
New Installations and Future Plans
The latest pieces are installed at Passeig de l'Arenal, Plaça del Coll de Balaguer, and Plaça de la Marina. Their presentation coincided with the third edition of 'Setmana El Petit Príncep' (The Little Prince Week). During the inauguration, attendees heard live readings by the students and a segment from a musical by Teia Teatre, also inspired by the book.
Officials from the council state that the goal is to continue expanding the route with new cultural proposals. Gemma González, the Tourism Coordinator, explained, "The intention is to leave a legacy in the municipality and continue offering different perspectives on a story with many layers." The initiative reinforces L'Hospitalet de l'Infant's commitment to linking heritage, culture, and citizen participation around one of literature's most universal classics.
