The proposal for archaeological intervention in the Castellbisbal cemetery originated from a historical memory recovery project carried out by students at the Institut Escola Les Vinyes. Due to the educational and community interest generated, the school encouraged the council to request a technical evaluation.
The key meeting was attended by the Director General for Democratic Memory, Xavier Menéndez Pablo, the mayor, Maria Dolors Conde Domínguez, the first deputy mayor, Jordi Piera Cano, and the Councillor for Education, Sílvia Fernández Lorca.
It was agreed at the meeting to continue working in a coordinated manner to define the next steps to follow in the archaeological intervention project.
The meeting, which included an institutional visit to the cemetery, served to discuss the suitability and viability of excavating the two mass graves dating back to the Spanish Civil War. Before any opening, an exhaustive preliminary study and technical evaluation of the ground conditions will be required.
According to a statement from the City Council, initial estimates suggest that the larger grave could contain more than a dozen bodies, and the smaller one three. Evidence indicates they are soldiers from the Republican side, who fell during the entry of Nationalist troops into Castellbisbal on January 25, 1939.
