The tragic event of the Desbandá of 1937, something that nobody dared to mention during the Franco years, is gaining more and more traction as something to commemorate

Admittedly, more reluctantly in municipalities governed by the Spanish right wing, which makes Nerja’s decision all the more surprising: to make a place of remembrance on an old bridge belonging to the disused section of the N-340 in Maro.

The proposal was first made last year by the Entre Cañas, la Plataforma Otra Maro y Nerja and the Escuela de Arquitectura belonging to the Universidad de Granada. The idea was to plan four events close to the Acueducto del Águila, which is a protected area under a Bien de Interés Cultural (BIC).

The Councillor for Citizen Participation, Antonio López, announced yesterday that the project for the restoration of the Puente Viejo del Barranco de Maro  had been approved in order to “create an Espacio de Memoria Democrática.”

The budget is 49,993.33 euros, with the Junta funding 98% and the Town Hall the remaining 2%. The work will commence with the removal of the old crash barriers (biondas) near the bridge and the repair of the stone walls. 

A poem by Manuel Altolaguirre will be engraved on a stone plaque. Finally, the undergrowth will be cut back and stone benches erected. The work should be concluded within three months of the work contract being signed.

Councillor López explained that the project is a result of consensus with the Asociación Cultural y Memorialista Entre Cañas. 

(News: Maro/Nerja, Axarquia, Costa del Sol, Malaga, Andalucia – Photo: E. Cabezas)