It cannot be denied that General Franco's tomb, north west of Madrid, is both quite amazing and extremely controversial. It is also a must-see for anyone visiting Madrid and its outlying areas. Access is easy by both car or public transport.
I worked all over Spain over many years and saw much of the country. Most of my work colleagues were Spanish nationals so I got to see places that tourists generally don't know about. One of these places was General Franco's tomb. My Spanish friends were very candid about the construction - and some of the horrors that occurred during the construction. The actual tomb is a part of the Bascilica that Pope John XX111 consecrated in 1960. The fact that the whole site has very dark secrets and very black roots must have been ignored because of political expediency. To this day controversy about the Tomb, Franco and the Spanish Civil War continues. This is particularly true where Spain's older generations are concerned. Some of this feeling, even if somewhat diluted, has passed to Spain's younger generations, but of course, after Franco's death there was a massive hectic rush to modernise the peasant society that Franco left behind. During Franco's era, Spain was effectively 'closed for business'. The term 'peasant society' is not my words, rather the words of several Spanish colleagues.
Described as 'An Act of National Atonement'
Work started on the Mausoleum in April 1940 after Franco declared his intention to build a monument as an 'Act of National Atonement'. The construction took 18 years to complete. Many of my Spanish friends believe that Franco lied about his intentions, and intended from the beginning that the site would be his final resting place.
One of the reasons that the site became so controversial was because of the use of enslaved Spanish republican workers. Many of these people were literally worked to death. Many others were murdered by site overseers. Some victims were said to have been thrown from the top of the memorial cross, a height of 150 metres or more than 450 feet. This is the highest memorial cross in the world.
Franco's residence is not far from the Mausoleum and is clearly visible from the highway as you near the site.
1960 Sees the Mausoleum Declared a Basilica by Pope John XX111
15 years before the Dictators death in 1975 the underground crypt was declared a Basilica by Pope John XX111. Even here there is evidence of 'horse trading' between the Church of Rome and Franco. The crypt, as hewn from the rock, runs in a straight line into the heart of a mountain. It is absolutely huge and awe inspiring. It was no doubt known to Franco that the excavation makes the crypt bigger than St. Peter's in Rome - his ego would have seen to that. However, the Catholic Church was having none of Franco's 'nonsense' and insisted that a partition be built, an area that would remain unconsecrated. This act was effective in reducing the size of the Bascilica to less than that of St. Peters. Franco would have had no choice in this matter.
The Bascilica, the memorial cross and the Benedictine Abbey of the Holy Cross of the Valley of the Fallen are situated about 45kms north west of Madrid. Access is easy via road, rail or bus. Your destination is Sierra de Guadarrama in the municipality of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.
Prepare For a Long Eerie Walk
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| General Francisco Franco |
In life, as in death General Franco remains a controversial figure. It is said that he dined like a King while common Spanish people starved. He was also responsible for many thousands of deaths. There was no place for dissenters in his world.
It is not known exactly how many bodies were interred in The Valley of the Fallen but there may be as many as 65,000. This number includes fighters from both sides and many political enemies. I was told, when I visited the site for the first time, that many more remains were buried within the structure of the crypt itself. I have no way of determining the truth of this information, but it does appear to be believed by many Spaniards. What I can tell you, from my own experience is that the walk to the end of the crypt, to the graves of Franco and Jose Antonio Primo de Riviera (the founder of the Falange, or Spanish Fascist party) is a very eerie experience.
Over the years there have been bitter arguments about the tomb, and public access. The tomb was closed in 2009 to deal with 'structural issues'. No-one believes that of course. It is though, quite easy to understand how difficult it is to try to promote the tomb in a politically neutral way, given the nature of civil war and mass murder.
The Times newspaper quotes far-left politician Jaume Bosch seeking to change the monument as saying "I want what was in reality something like a Nazi concentration camp to stop being a nostalgic place of pilgrimage for Francoists. Inevitably, whether we like it or not, it's part of our history. We don't want to pull it down, but the Government has agreed to study our plan."
Whether the actual crypt reopens to the public or not is not so important, as the site itself is worth visiting in its own right. I would however give a word of advice. Avoid visiting the area on the weekend closest to 20th. November. Spain still has a fascist party and members do congregate there around that date. The Spanish are a friendly people and very welcoming, but it is best to avoid the politics on that weekend. There have been problems in the past, not towards visitors intentionally, but if you are not there at the time you're not going to be involved.
Publications and Collectables about General Franco and the Spanish Civil War
The following links are well worth looking at. They are both Ebay links to both General Franco collectibles and general items connected to the Spanish Civil War
Ebay Items Relating to General Franco
Ebay Items Relating to The Spanish Civil War
