Montoliu de Lleida, in the Lleida region, opened its Historical Memory Spaces on Saturday, 23 May 2026. The project restores republican bunkers and marks sites linked to Francoist repression, with the President of the Catalan Parliament, Josep Rull, and the President of Lleida Provincial Council, Joan Talarn, attending the ceremony.
Also present were the mayor of Montoliu, Eduard Murgó, the president of the Segrià Regional Council, David Masot, and the territorial director of the Department of Justice and Democratic Quality, Anna Miranda. Talarn said the project is a collective duty to preserve dignity and history.
Talarn also stressed the need to keep democratic memory alive and to honour those who suffered under Franco's regime. He said these spaces help older people, who have carried memories, fears, or absences, feel that their pain and experiences have not been useless or forgotten. The Provincial Council says it remains committed to historical memory policies and to restoring sites linked to repression and democratic struggle.
The institutional event began at Montoliu Town Hall, where Josep Rull signed the town's Book of Honour. Authorities then followed a commemorative route, stopping first at Mestre Tàpies street for the unveiling of the inaugural plaque for the Memory Spaces.
The delegation later moved to Plaça de la Creu for institutional speeches, before visiting the bunker at Cal Pubillet. There, technicians from the Research and Investigation Group of Civil War Spaces (GRIEGC) explained the recovery work. GRIEGC carried out the restoration of these sites.
The work included rehabilitating two republican defensive bunkers and marking a Francoist one located by the Segre river. The project also highlights teacher José de Tàpia, an educational leader in the municipality who promoted the local school, as part of a wider effort to preserve collective memory for future generations.
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