Barcelona terror attack remembered with online archive of memorial objects

Nearly a year has passed since the terror attack that shook Barcelona on August 17, 2017. For days after, in order to remember the victims and condemn the attackers, a makeshift memorial grew bigger and bigger on La Rambla, in the heart of the city, and where the atrocity took place.

People placed sentimental objects on the Joan Miró mosaic on the famous boulevard, popular with tourists and especially busy during the summer months.

All these items were kept, and have been catalogued. Now they can be seen in an online exhibit launched by the city council, with the help of the Barcelona History Museum and the Municipal Archive.

In total, more than 12,000 objects were placed on the memorial, including letters of condolence, toys, and flowers. Over half of the items were cuddly animals. Each and every article was meticulously recorded digitally to make the online exhibit. The result of the work can be seen on the Barcelona council’s website in the form of a mosaic like that of Miró on La Rambla. The name of the exhibit sends a clear message: Barcelona, city of peace.

“Solidarity city”

The website is a memorial to the victims in itself, both in Barcelona and in Cambrils, a coastal town where another deadly attack took place later that same fateful day. Barcelona is referred to as a “diverse and solidarity city” on the page.

It highlights how, on August 26, just over a week on from the onslaught, “half a million people filled the streets of the city with a single cry: ‘I’m not afraid,’ a message borne out of the conviction of a diverse and welcoming city.”

Citizens came together in force to react. In total, 4,654 messages of solidarity were left for victims, 29,000kg of flowers, 7,838 items, and 29,763 signatures in a book of condolence for the victims of the jihadist attack.