Camí de la Retirada

Camí de la Retirada (Catalan: [kəˈmi ðə lə rə.tiˈɾa.də], Spanish: Camino de la Retirada) ("Path of the Retreat") refers to routes and paths in the eastern Pyrenees used by Republican exiles at the end of the Spanish Civil War. One of the best known paths, today signposted as a trail for hiking or biking, runs for 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from Molló to Prats de Molló via Col d'Ares at 1,513 metres (4,964 ft) above sea level.[1] It is estimated that about 100,000 people of all ages used this path in January and February, 1939.[2]

Signpost of the Molló path at Col d'Ares

History

The fall of Barcelona on 26 January 1939 caused a mass exodus of both civilians and soldiers who fled to the French border. This withdrawal – known in Catalonia as the Retirada – led to the displacement of close to 500,000 people, one of the largest refugee crises in Europe of all time.[3][4] Mountain paths in Cerdanya and Ripollès were used as alternatives to increasingly impassable roads in Alt Empordà. All refugees entering France were disarmed and arrested.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Camí de la Retirada de Molló (Ripollès) a Prats de Molló (Vallespir) per Coll d'Ares". Ajuntament de Molló. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  2. "Death of Amadeo, 80 years after heart-rending Spanish Civil War photo". El Nacional.cat. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  3. "Franco refugees still haunted by the past: We were cold, hungry and scared". The Guardian. 9 February 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  4. "Exhibition: A nation in retreat". MUME - Museu Memorial de l'Exili. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  5. Ramón Salas Larrazabal (2006), Historia del Ejército Popular de la República. La Esfera de los Libros S.L. ISBN 84-9734-465-0

Further reading

42.367°N 2.456°E / 42.367; 2.456


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