The Pazo de Meirás will open its gardens to the public on January 30 with limited access due to the pandemic, leaving behind 82 years in the hands of the Franco
The restrictions to contain the coronavirus pandemic will detract from the opening to the public of the Pazo de Meirás, restored by judicial sentence to the State after 82 years of occupation by the Francisco Franco family. As of January 30, the gardens of the domain located in Sada (A Coruña), which extends over more than nine hectares, will open. But the foreseeable perimeter closure of this coastal town in A Coruña, as warned by its mayor, Benito Portela, will force to limit access to the local area. The Government is considering being able to open the interior of the unique castle from the end of the 19th century from mid-March, once the security has been guaranteed and the damage has been fixed, especially in the old electrical installation, according to the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, Fernando Martínez, at the meeting of the Meirás Technical Commission that met this morning by videoconference.
From the literary sanctuary of Pardo Bazán to a fortress occupied for 80 years by the Franco family: the story of the Pazo de Meirás
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Some instances of the property with which the dictator was made during the Civil War, in 1938, could even be visited by citizens before that date, as soon as they have the approval of the technicians who are working on cleaning up the pazo after his return to the National Heritage. Martínez informed the other administrations at today's meeting (Xunta, Deputación da Coruña and municipalities of A Coruña and Sada) of the preparation of a large exhibition in which the story of the history of Meirás will be told, conceived as a literary refuge for one of the great Spanish letters Emilia Pardo Bazán and delivered to Franco based on donations and forced and public money. A story, which Martínez insisted, should also tell the almost 40 years that it was the dictator's summer residence and the citizen struggle that made it possible to return to the people.
The public administrations agreed to appoint a group of experts in charge of "reflecting on the story and future uses of Meirás", as well as an advisor for the realization of this exhibition. In addition, the Government will send a proposal for a collaboration agreement in which the role and involvement of each administration in the management of the Pazo de Meirás is established. However, the request of the Xunta de Galicia that the pazo be transferred to it is suspended since, as Martínez recalled, the return is subject to the judicial appeal that the dictator's heirs presented. For now, as the Government insists, the property and its assets are deposited with the State until there is a final judgment.
