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Historical Memory
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The Prince of Viana Institution gives way to the reform of the Monument to the Fallen in Pamplona

The decision is based on the Foral Act amending the Historical Memory Regulations to introduce a specific provision on the monument, which obliges the monument to be given a new meaning, limits its uses to the purposes of education and democratic memory, and provides for the removal of elements of Francoist exaltation.

(Foto de ARCHIVO)

Monumentos a los Caídos de Pamplona.



EUROPA PRESS

18/1/2025
Monument to the fallen in Pamplona. Photo: Europa Press.

The Prince of Viana Institution has issued a report in favour of changing the protection of the Monument to the Fallen in Pamplona, so that the fundamental step is to be declared a space of memory and coexistence.

The resolution responds to a timely amendment of the Municipal Plan approved by the City of Pamplona on 5 June.

The aim is to reduce the level of protection of the main body of the building — from level 2 to level 3 — and to eliminate the protection of the side arches, crypt and other basement rooms, enabling comprehensive intervention of symbolic and functional renewal of meaning.

The Prince of Viana's report specifies that the new cataloguing will allow action to be taken on the outside of the dome, including the removal of crosses or templets and the introduction of new coatings or artistic elements, while ensuring the preservation of the interior murals, which can be hidden without destroying them, for further study and dissemination.

The decision is based on the Foral Actamending the Historical Memory Regulations to introduce a specific provision on the monument, which obliges the monument to be given a new meaning, limits its uses to the purposes of education and democratic memory, and provides for the removal of elements of Francoist exaltation.

In this regard, the report notes that even after the exhumations and symbology carried out, the building continued to spread the message of "totalitarian propaganda".

The file has had a number of technical assessments. The Historical Heritage Service recommended maintaining the current protection of the complex for architectural consistency, since it was a unitary project of José Yárnoz and Victor Eusa, built between 1941 and 1952.

However, Prince de Viana stresses that the examination cannot be limited to formal criteria, but must have a symbolic, historical and social dimension, in accordance with the legislation on memory and cultural rights.

In this context, the Directorate-General for Memory and Coexistence issued a report on 21 August, which welcomed the City Council's proposal. The planned actionsinclude the demolition of the crypt and external arches, the removal of existing Franco plates and inscriptions and the partial concealment of the dome. It considers these measures to be consistent with the law and compatible with international human rights standards.

The Prince of Viana's document further recalls that cultural heritage is no longer conceived as an invariable set of formal goods, but as a social process "constantly reinterpreted".

The resolution concludes that the requested amendment is legally feasible and complies with the legal mandate to renew its meaning by allowing the removal of Francoist symbology, the redefinition of uses and the transfer of space to educational and social purposes, although it warns that it is up to the department responsible for culture to establish the necessary measures in the future to ensure consistency with the principles of conservation and democratic memory.

The decision of the Prince of Viana may be appealed to the High Court of Justice of Navarre within two months.

The next step will be the approval of the report by the City Council Plenary, while the Committee of Experts continues to work on the draft report.

With regard to the future of the building, EH Bildu, PSN and Geroa Bai reached an agreement to reject the demolition and advocate a new meaning. The members of the Contigo-Zurekin government have been very critical of the agreement and have been in favour of its demolition. 

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