La Magdalena, declared a Site of Democratic Memory due to the Francoist camp

The former Francoist concentration camp of La Magdalena, in Santander, has been declared a Site of Democratic Memory by a resolution dated October 21, 2026, from the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) no. 265 of this Monday, October 26, in section III, page 143305 (BOE-A-2026-22429). The facility, installed in the stables of the La Magdalena Palace, housed more than 1,600 prisoners between 1937 and 1939. The declaration takes effect from the date of the resolution’s publication in the official gazette.

The declaration is adopted under article 50.4 of Law 20/2022, of October 19, on Democratic Memory, which assigns this competence to the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory upon the proposal of the head of the General Directorate competent in the matter. The file was processed in accordance with that regulation and Law 39/2015, of October 1, on Common Administrative Procedure. The initiation of the procedure had been agreed upon by a resolution dated October 28, 2025, published in the BOE of October 31, 2025. The text appears signed in Madrid on October 21, 2026, by the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, Fernando Martínez López.

A pioneering camp of the concentration system

The La Magdalena Palace is a heritage complex located in the municipality of Santander which, according to the resolution, constitutes a significant space in the history of Cantabria and Spain. Within it was located the concentration camp that the Francoist regime kept operational from late August 1937 until November 1939.

The context of its creation was the collapse of the Northern Front. Isolated from the rest of the republican zone and with no possibility of escape to France, thousands of combatants were trapped in Cantabria: in the province alone, approximately 50,000 surrenders were recorded, which overwhelmed the capacity of the Francoist forces. The authorities improvised internment sites in the large available enclosures of the capital, including the La Magdalena peninsula. By the end of the war, there were 188 detention camps across Spain.

The facility was set up in the palace stables. Its maximum capacity was 600 prisoners, but it came to house more than 1,600. The closed peninsula, with controlled access and from which it was only possible to escape by swimming, made it an ideal place for confinement.

Overcrowding, disease, and propaganda

Living conditions were extremely harsh. Prisoners suffered from hunger, cold, overcrowding, and diseases such as typhus, scabies, or tuberculosis, and mortality was high. Collected testimonies indicate that many corpses were abandoned on the seashore so that the currents would carry them away; others, possibly, were executed within the facility itself.

A document preserved in the General Military Archive of Ávila details the daily routines imposed on the inmates:

• Performing the fascist salute when crossing paths with commanders.
• Singing the Cara al Sol.
• Attending Mass.
• Participating in activities intended to foster the so-called “Spanish spirit.”

After the fall of Euskadi, the camp became the primary internment space for political suspects and Republican military personnel, in many cases without trial or guarantees. Prisoners could remain detained for months before being interrogated, and many died before that moment arrived. It was also one of the first camps established by Francoism and the most photographed, as it served as a model for other camps, and from its early days, the regime used it as a propaganda tool.

Protection, signaling, and public memory

The resolution identifies the asset and establishes its data:

• Denomination: “Former La Magdalena concentration camp.”
• Location: former stables of the La Magdalena Palace, Santander (Cantabria), currently used as a student residence.
• Geographic coordinates: 43°28'05.7"N 3°46'07.0"W.
• Ownership: Santander City Council.

Regarding protection, and in accordance with article 52.1 of the Democratic Memory Law, no specific measures are established other than general measures to guarantee durability. The dissemination and interpretation measures, for commemorative, homage, didactic, and reparative purposes, include the promotion of explanatory audiovisual and digital resources, the installation of plaques, panels, or interpretive memorial markers, and the signaling of a point of recognition for the victims. The web portal of the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory will include the geolocation of the site and a file with photographs and audiovisuals, and the department will develop mechanisms to integrate it into international circuits for the construction of democratic memory.

Registration and appeal process

The resolution will be notified to the directly affected interested parties, and the asset will be registered in the Inventory of Places of Democratic Memory. Against this resolution, which ends the administrative process, an optional appeal for reversal may be filed before the same body within one month of its publication, in accordance with articles 123 and 124 of Law 39/2015, or direct challenge via a contentious-administrative appeal before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the National Court, according to article 11.1.a) of Law 29/1998, of July 13.

The declaration closes a file opened nearly a year ago and places a space that served as a model for the Francoist concentration system on the state map of memory. For the readers of Cantabria, it represents the institutional recognition of a site previously known primarily through historical research and victim testimonies, and opens the door to its physical signage and public dissemination.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 265, October 26, 2026, section III, page 143305 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-22429).