Deportees from l'Hospitalet in the Nazi camps: from oblivion to everyday life

Abstract

Since the end of Francoist regime, l'Hospitalet de Llobregat has been characterised as a pioneering city in the recovery of historical and democratic memory, driven by its powerful network of associations. However, the history of the city's deportees and their families was forgotten for several decades, in the shadow of the victims of Franco's regime.

In 2006, researchers Pep Ribas and Enric Gil carried out the first study on the subject, bringing to light 54 stories. This study was revised and updated in 2019, within the framework of the research grants that the local museum awards annually, raising the number to 67 people. Subsequently, local institutions have made a commitment to bring the stories of their neighbours closer to the citizens through different measures whose main axes are the local museum, the public space, and schools. The first homage was the production of a temporary exhibition at the Museum of l’Hospitalet, where different interviews with deportees and personal objects donated by their relatives could be consulted. In parallel to the preparation of the exhibition, the project for the laying of the memory paving stones or stolpersteine was developed. By placing the stolpersteine in the public space, the memory of the victims of Nazism will be present and will become part of the everyday life of the citizens.

Finally, work is being done on the didactic potential of this topic in the classroom. The provisional idea is that one or more plaques will be assigned to the nearest school because they will be responsible for their 'safekeeping'. This means that the young students will be responsible for placing, cleaning and keeping the stolpersteine in good condition.