Aug
18
MADRID: A Left-wing council in Galicia is trying to seize the palatial summer retreat of Francisco Franco and open its gates to the public.
The secluded property was left to the dictator’s descendants after his death in November 1975, and every August a stream of relations visit Pazo de Meiras, a mock-fortress, in Sada, north-western Spain.
Last summer, Franco’s granddaughter, Carmen Martinez-Bordiu, invited the Spanish gossip magazine ¡Hola! to the “historical family house” to announce the break-up of her latest relationship. Galicia was Franco’s home region and has for the most part remained a stronghold of Spain’s ruling conservative Popular Party (PP). But the PP was ousted in local elections in May by a Leftist coalition backed by the Spanish anti-austerity party Podemos.
The new mayor, Benito Portela, intends to change the status of the house and grounds to that of a “public facility with free access”, opening the gates of the fortress. “The ultimate aim is to get the Pazo back,” Mr Portela said.
The property’s status as a private family home is already disputed. In 1938, in the middle of the civil war, pro-Franco businessmen in the area decided to buy the property as a gift for Franco, who took control of Spain the following year. They raised the money through public “donations” and it has been documented that public employees had their pay docked in order to finance the magnificent present.
The mansion has been declared a site of special cultural interest; two years ago, the family was forced to open the property to the public for four days each month after a lengthy legal dispute. In order to take further control of the property, Sada’s council chiefs will have to negotiate with the regional government, which remains in the hands of the PP. As a first step, the council has requested control of organising the public visits, which are run by a private firm.
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