+At the end of the war, Granollers was a badly damaged city, with a population that was tired of the long period of violence, death and privations of all kinds. The new regime established a strong repression that affected the lives of many people. For some citizens, it meant the beginning of a long exile. For many others, persecution, imprisonment and privation of freedom. The memory of the bombings was silenced.
However, the general public did not forget these tragic events. With the return of democracy, the visits made to the cemetery to remember one's loved ones who were killed in the bombings, that had been done in quiet intimacy, have become a public act of commitment to peace and democracy. The public grave where many of the victims were buried has become a place of homage and memory of that dramatic episode, which has become a part of the memory of the city.
In 1988, many people took an active part in the events organised on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the bombing. On every 31th of May, year after year, Granollers commemorates the bombing, with a double objective of remembering the events and advancing in work to construct peace.
In 2008, coinciding with the commemoration of the seventieth anniversary, the shelter in Plaça Maluquer was recovered and the itinerary of the bombing was signposted. Can Jonch was also opened. It is a Culture Centre for Peace, an area to work on the recovery and dissemination of the historic memory and to promote a culture of peace, solidarity and the defence of human rights.
The Granollers Manifesto “Ciutats obertes a la pau” (Cities open to peace), expresses the commitment of the city to peace:
On 31st of May 1938, Granollers suffered a terrible bombing that was to remain forever in the memory of the people that experienced it, as well as the collective memory of the city.
We, citizens of the world, who have come together in Granollers, a city open to peace, do not wish these events to be forgotten. We express our firm commitment to work towards a culture of peace, transmitting the preservation of the memory and a critical look at violence and wars to the new generations. We commit ourselves not to forget the tragic events experienced and to work so that attacks on the civil population never happen again, here or anywhere.
We vindicate the role of people, of populations and of cities to construct peace. We would like to play an active role and we commit ourselves to work to make our cities an area in which the values of harmonious living together, dialogue, education and the peaceful resolution of conflicts prevail.
