Irun, July 1938. A curious tourist route began to tour the main points of the war that had been unleashed two years earlier. The nationals progressed gradually and in May, through a new decree, the Francoist National Tourism Service began to organize a tour circuit to visit the so-called North War Route: battlefields, affected areas, shelters...
The objective of the special travel agency was twofold. On the one hand, the accumulation of currencies, since most passengers were foreigners. On the other hand, the Francoists wanted to make propaganda with the visitors, and also in this sense the diversity of origin of the tourists was an aid.
The starting point of the trip was not chosen by carelessness. In early September 1936, the Battle of Irun and the Francoist triumph were fundamental in the Gipuzkoa Campaign, before the beginning of the Northern Offensive. The seizure of the city cut off the border and, therefore, the terrestrial connection with the French State, thus preventing the supply of weapons by the Republicans of the northern part of the peninsula.
The route reached Oviedo and, among other stops, those of Donostia-San Sebastián, Bilbao, Santander and Gijón. Shortly afterwards a new route was organised to attract Portuguese tourists: Starting from the Galician town of Tui, passing through Santiago de Compostela and arriving to Gijón. And months later, as the nationals controlled the southern part of the peninsula, they also organized the Southern War Route.
The trips were made in the buses of the National Tourist Service, accompanied by route demonstrators trained in the languages of the visitors. The visits and explanations did not relate only to war, but those responsible realised that propaganda was more effective if it concerned raw issues of war with cultural content. The frequency of travel was irregular, but continued after the war, until 1945.
Assessing the outcome of propaganda efforts is not easy: About 20,000 tourists made routes, compared to Republicans, for example, the international brigadists were about 40,000, and it is also not possible to say to what extent they were indoctrinated. The second objective, the economic one, did not have a disastrous result: the project had benefits of eight million pesetas at the time.
Iazko uztailean, ARGIAren 2.880. zenbakiko orrialdeotan genuen Bego Ariznabarreta Orbea. Bere aitaren gudaritzaz ari zen, eta 1936ko Gerra Zibilean lagun egindako Aking Chan, Xangai brigadista txinatarraz ere mintzatu zitzaigun. Oraindik orain, berriz, Gasteizen hartu ditu... [+]
Gogora Institutuak 1936ko Gerrako biktimen inguruan egindako txostenean "erreketeak, falangistak, Kondor Legioko hegazkinlari alemaniar naziak eta faxista italiarrak" ageri direla salatu du Intxorta 1937 elkarteak, eta izen horiek kentzeko eskatu du. Maria Jesus San Jose... [+]
1936ko Gerran milaka haurrek Euskal Herria utzi behar izan zuten faxisten bonbetatik ihes egiteko. Frantzia, Katalunia, Belgika, Erresuma Batua, Sobietar Batasuna eta Amerikako herrialdeetara joandako horien historia jasotzeko zeregin erraldoiari ekin dio Intxorta 1937... [+]
Ezpatak, labanak, kaskoak, fusilak, pistolak, kanoiak, munizioak, lehergailuak, uniformeak, armadurak, ezkutuak, babesak, zaldunak, hegazkinak eta tankeak. Han eta hemen, bada jende klase bat historia militarrarekin liluratuta dagoena. Gehien-gehienak, historia-zaleak izaten... [+]
Pamplona, 1939. At the beginning of the year, the bullring in the city was used as a concentration camp by the Francoists. It was officially capable of 3,000 prisoners of war, at a time when there was no front in Navarre, so those locked up there should be regarded as prisoners... [+]
Segundo Hernandez preso anarkistaren senide Lander Garciak hunkituta hitz egin du, Ezkabatik ihes egindako gasteiztarraren gorpuzkinak jasotzerako orduan. Nafarroako Gobernuak egindako urratsa eskertuta, hamarkada luzetan pairatutako isiltasuna salatu du ekitaldian.
