The paths of exile II: from Molló to Prats de Molló (France) + Beget

• Past Excursions

DATE: April 1 at 8am

Enjoy a very complete excursion to the Girona Pyrenees of historical, recreational and cultural character that will allow us to visit Beget, one of the best preserved villages of Medieval origin in Catalonia; to approach the tragic history of the hundreds of thousands of Republican refugees who were forced to cross the border in deplorable conditions; and to enjoy spectacular views in the heart of the Pyrenees.

BEGET:

Beget, considered one of the most beautiful villages in Catalonia, remains practically untouched and preserves the natural and rural beauty of its beginnings. With stone as the protagonist, the village is characterized by its cobbled streets, the two medieval bridges and the Romanesque Church of Sant Cristòfol, the Romanesque style temple that is the great cultural attraction of the area.

REPUBLICAN EXODUS:

Towards the end of the civil war, from January 27 to February 13, 1938, between 85,000 and 95,000 people crossed the Pyrenees from the Comprodon valley to Vallespir, on their way to an exile that for most of them would be long and painful. Many of these refugees were initially welcomed by the inhabitants of Prats de Molló, which became an improvised camp for tens of thousands of refugees.

MOLLÓ

Molló, a small village located in the valley of Camprodon (Ripollès), enjoys privileged views and its heritage includes the Romanesque church of Santa Cecilia.

During the last months of the civil war, tens of thousands of people crossed the border by one of the three escape routes from the municipality of Molló: the Coll d’Ares road, the old road that went from Camprodon to Coll d’Ares passing by the carabinieri’s cottage, and the Espinavell road, at Coll Pregon.

And before the war, some businessmen, deserters and people related to Franco’s coup d’état also fled to France along these paths.

PRATS DE MOLLÓ

One of the iconic images of the Republican exile was the arrival in Prats de Molló of thousands of people who, after crossing the border through the Coll d’Ares, were interned in a refugee camp.

And in 1926, before the civil war, Prats de Molló was already the scene of a political event of special relevance: the arrest by French gendarmes of Francesc Macià and the group of armed men who accompanied him when they were about to cross the border to start an armed uprising in Catalonia against the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera.

THE PLAN

8h: We are in the Universitat square (main entrance of the UB)

10.30-11.30h: We visited Beget

11.30-12.30h: Bus to Prats de Molló, with a stop at the viewpoint and memorial of exile from the border

12.30-14h: We visited Prats de Mollo

14-16h: We eat together at the restaurant Les Planes (menu 20 euros)

16.30-17h: We visited Mollo

17-19h: Coach back to Barcelona

DATE: April 1, 2023

GUIDE: Toni Bellido (official guide of Barcelona / Catalonia)

LANGUAGE: Catalan (and Spanish)