Barcelona's local authorities have finally removed the last of the 367 commemorative signs during the fascist dictatorship era between 1930 and 1970. The signs were dated back in 1975 with the symbol of the bear, the yoke, and arrows - the emblem of the Falange movement.
The city has asked first the consent of its residents, whose properties are where most of the commemorative signs are placed during the 1960's. In 2007, Barcelona carried out the Historical Memory Law to call all officials to remove any signs indicating the fascist regime.
Many street names and sculptures were removed even before the implementation of the law except those in the Nou Barris and Gràcia districts which escaped the authorities' notices. It was only during this year where the authorities have removed all commemorative signs from the said areas - about 163 plaques from the latter and 204 of the former were taken down.
After the removal, Barcelona's historian, Ricard Vinyes told El Pais that "We are not aware of any other remaining items from the Franco dictatorship," signifying that they have confiscated any trace of the regime.
A lot of the Spanish city streets have opted to change the names of the signs to famous women of the world. Some of these names suggested by locals and authorities alike include Spanish author Carmen Martín Gaite, Jane Austen, and León native ángela Ruiz Robles.
The removal in the city of Barcelona proved to be successful, but in Madrid, the same initiative was met with mixed criticism. Madrid has its Franco-era victory arch that has been embedded by many as one of the popular sites for tourists to go to.
Critics are marching down and demanding that the arch has to be bulldozed and destroyed along with the other commemorative signs.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
