DZ CHARLIE

Spanish Civil War 1936–1939

Parque de la Memoria 'Málaga 1937', Torre del Mar

Torre del Mar (Vélez-Málaga) · Memorial

GuideSpanish Civil War 1936–1939
AreaAndalusia
TypeMemorial
WhenFeb 1937
Time to allow20 min
LocationGeneral area only
GPS36.74035, -4.09895
Open the free field guideDirections (Google Maps)

The story

Torre del Mar, about 30 km east of Málaga, was where refugees fleeing along the coast road met those coming down from the villages of the Axarquía during the exodus of February 1937. In 2007 the town opened this memorial garden by the artist Rogelio López Cuenca and architect Santiago Cirugeda, deliberately not a monument but a place to meet. It was among the first sites declared a Place of Memory in Andalusia (2013), and the annual commemoration of the Desbandá has been held here since 2005. Nearby, in Río Seco, a small square is named after Norman Bethune.

What you can see today

A plaque reading 'MÁLAGA 1937 / NUNCA MÁS' split by a crack tracing the coast to Almería, almond trees that flower each February, and more than 400 plaques with survivors' names written in their own hand.

Plan your visit

Open access, next to the bus station and the Mancomunidad de la Axarquía building in Torre del Mar. Combine with the Peñón del Cuervo memorial on the way from Málaga.

Where sources disagree: Death toll of the Desbandá is disputed (see Paseo de los Canadienses entry).

Sources

Nearby sites

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The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939

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