the remains can justify the intervention in the the new surrounding building, the monument and
monument so that it can become a positive pole the institution of the memorial culture surpasses
of the democratic, cultural and humanist values the military legacy and moves it over time to a new
without having to disappear. We must be radical and space, a new visual narrative and contents where all
build a new, better and more powerful symbol if we of us will feel challenged. Conditions: transparency,
want to deactivate them. This will be a complex, free movement through and around its structure.
perhaps very expensive, and very conflictive action It involves a guided tour around the dome and
to take, but it will represent a patrimonial benefit viewpoint, and a cultural space underground and
for the new and young generations. A future for upper floor.
the past will symbolize the best possible memorial
intervention.
Current Process
To achieve that, different scales and dimensions
should be worked on, such as a permanently While writing these lines, it seems that the City
participative scale with the local society (at the level Council and the Government of Pamplona have
of Pamplona-Navarra) and another at a national and finally decided to hold an international public tender
international level. Likewise, the social and urban on the monument (October 2018). The civil society
myth related to the term “fallen” must be replaced and the associations of historical memory that
in two levels: were consulted have changed their mind and have
shifted to demolition. Even so, the opportunity to
a. The cultural. The search of a name and a project that
create an international Memorial centre give rise to
goes beyond the current urban disuse and asepsis, a reform that will be fully proposed in this public
while at the same time generically represents a new tender. Depending on the time, and the political
way of approaching culture and memory. and budgetary wills, one of the two options will be
taken. However, it seems that the path taken is the
b. The social and anthropological level that affects the
right one. (The reader can request to consult the two
popular narrative and the unwritten nomenclature working documents produced by EUROM writing an
of the site: “Fallen”. A reconsideration, for example, e-mail to [email protected]).
of a great “viewpoint” with sight to the two cities:
the new and the old, the north and the south, united
by this cultural centre newly constructed. A centre
that, without the spirit of post modernity, is little by
little considered by the new generations and visitors
as a new prism, a new lighthouse, a viewpoint
that also symbolises a new look at the past with a
projection towards the future: a memorial museum of
contemporary art and culture.
c. The architecture level. A giant “hood” will cover the
original monument. The original and historical sites,
including the inner dome, the crypt and the symbolism,
will be part of an educational and exclusively guided
tour. The new surrounding building will be the new
Memorial Centre, much more dynamic and open to
citizenship. In my opinion, the relationship with
30
Observing Memories
ISSUE 2