Democratic Memorial

Democratic memorial

The Democratic Memorial is an institution of the Generalitat de Catalunya whose mission is to recover, commemorate and promote democratic memory in Catalonia (1931-1980). This historical period includes the Second Republic, the Civil War, Franco’s dictatorship and the transition to democracy. The Democratic Memorial places special emphasis on recovering the memory of victims for ideological, conscientious, religious or social reasons, as well as the repression perpetrated by Franco’s dictatorship against individuals and groups (including the Catalan language and culture), exile and deportation.

Among the functions of the Democratic Memorial is the commemoration of democratic memory by proclaiming the validity of democratic values as the foundation of organization and coexistence in current Catalan society.

Genesis and activities developed at the UPC

The Democratic Memorial has an origin closely linked to the UPC. In 2004, the UPC instituted a program dedicated to the recovery of democratic historical memory, with the slogan "We make memory to make future", in order to achieve a double objective: first, to pay tribute to the people who defended democratic values and to those who fought the long Franco’s dictatorship to achieve a freer and more just society. The UPC program also wanted to invite the university community to learn about our history and reflect on democratic values.

Antoni Roca Rosell, as coordinator of the UNESCO Chair of Technology and Culture, has acted as the UPC representative on the Advisory Council of the Democratic Memorial from 2008 to 2022.

Within the framework of the program developed at the UPC, a series of eight Democratic Memorial Days was organized between 2004 and 2009.

Sessions at the UPC