The Spanish Civil War was a conflict among armies, states, ideologies, and interests. It was also, and perhaps above all else, a war of people for whom it was something intimate. The more than 25 million Spaniards who were affected by the war and the many foreigners who participated or felt they had a stake in it were its real protagonists. They are also the first custodians of its history. Very few of them remain alive, but their families and friends and their descendants have objects, the material remnants of their experiences.
The goal of this Open Gallery is to gather the diversity of objects and stories that lie behind the Spanish Civil War. It is by far the most personal, human, and subtle part of the Virtual Museum. And because it shows how the memory of the conflict has been transmitted, continuously but almost always quietly, through innumerable experiences, it is the one that best connects our reality to the past.
All the objects and accompanying stories that appear here have been volunteered by private individuals across Spain and beyond. The content has been professionally curated, but in a way that respects the intention of the donors. We believe that in this way, visitors will be able to better understand what the Spanish Civil War - with all its many complexities and implications – was. And perhaps, you will be moved to share your own objects and stories with us.
