It is a monument visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year. On Sundays, some travel from nearby Madrid to lay wreaths at the site. But just what the memorial, known as the Valley of the Fallen, stands for is not entirely clear. Officially, it commemorates everyone who died in the Spanish Civil War, fought from 1936 to 1939. But the Valley of the Fallen monument, a vast complex dominated by an enormous granite cross, also contains the mausoleum in which the body of General Francisco Franco, Spain's fascist dictator, is buried. It was built using the slave labor of political prisoners. Indeed, the Valley of the Fallen has recently come to symbolize a Spain still scarred by its civil war and almost four decades of Franco's iron-fisted regime. Some, though, have begun picking at that scab. This week, a Spanish judge began collecting information with an eye toward creating an accurate list of those killed during Franco's dictatorship. In doing so, he has turned up the heat on a long-simmering national debate. "This is great news for the families of victims," Emilio Silva told SPIEGEL ONLINE. Silva is head of the nonprofit Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory (AMHA), which has excavated 120 mass graves since 2000 containing the remains of around 1,200 people. Names and Dates Judge Baltasar Garzon, who sits on Spain's National Court, sent official requests this week for information on Franco victims to various government archives, city halls and the Catholic Church -- and to the keepers of Franco's tomb. He wants details including victims' names and the dates and circumstances of their deaths.
Officially, it commemorates everyone who died in the Spanish Civil War, fought from 1936 to 1939. But the Valley of the Fallen monument, a vast complex dominated by an enormous granite cross, also contains the mausoleum in which the body of General Francisco Franco, Spain's fascist dictator, is buried. It was built using the slave labor of political prisoners.
Indeed, the Valley of the Fallen has recently come to symbolize a Spain still scarred by its civil war and almost four decades of Franco's iron-fisted regime. Some, though, have begun picking at that scab. This week, a Spanish judge began collecting information with an eye toward creating an accurate list of those killed during Franco's dictatorship. In doing so, he has turned up the heat on a long-simmering national debate.
"This is great news for the families of victims," Emilio Silva told SPIEGEL ONLINE. Silva is head of the nonprofit Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory (AMHA), which has excavated 120 mass graves since 2000 containing the remains of around 1,200 people.
Names and Dates
Judge Baltasar Garzon, who sits on Spain's National Court, sent official requests this week for information on Franco victims to various government archives, city halls and the Catholic Church -- and to the keepers of Franco's tomb. He wants details including victims' names and the dates and circumstances of their deaths.
Still, the approval is far from universal. A general amnesty was passed in 1977 and, since then, many Spanish have been reticent about their historical ghosts. A non-scientific opinion poll by conservative Barcelona-based paper La Vanguardia showed 56 percent in favor of Garzon's initiative -- but 43 percent opposed. Mariano Rajoy, leader of the conservative People's Party, is likewise against Garzon. "I'm not in favor of opening the wounds of the past," he said at a Tuesday press conference. "They won't lead us anywhere."
Still, the approval is far from universal. A general amnesty was passed in 1977 and, since then, many Spanish have been reticent about their historical ghosts. A non-scientific opinion poll by conservative Barcelona-based paper La Vanguardia showed 56 percent in favor of Garzon's initiative -- but 43 percent opposed.
Mariano Rajoy, leader of the conservative People's Party, is likewise against Garzon. "I'm not in favor of opening the wounds of the past," he said at a Tuesday press conference. "They won't lead us anywhere."
