AIXOPLUC
The Route of Memory
AIXOPLUC
The Route of Memory
This sculpture, erected in 2006, bears witness to one of the most tragic events in the history of Xàtiva, the bombing of the railway station on February 12, 1939, where about 150 people died. Its author, Miquel Mollà, aimed to convey the idea of shelter through the two wings that open up, allowing visitors to interact with the artwork and feel its protection.
On February 12, 1939, Sunday, between 9:45 and 10:30 a.m., five planes belonging to the 27th Gruppo of the Aviazione Legionaria delle Baleari, model Savoia SM-79, from the Balearic base of Son Sant Joan, flew over the railway station of Xàtiva. Their target was a train transporting soldiers of the 49th Republican Mixed Brigade and some other units from the Mancha front. At that time, the Xàtiva station was bustling with activity, as many people gathered around to await the soldiers.
When the planes dropped the 20 250kg bombs, the impact was devastating; not only were the soldiers on the train affected, but men and women, young and elderly, and children, became victims of this unnecessary act of terror, occurring in the final days of a war that would end barely a month later. Specialists in the field have highlighted that, in addition to being unnecessary, it was part of a strategy of gratuitous terror, stemming from the nature of a dictatorial regime born through blood and fire.
INFORMATION
AIXOPLUC
Av. Ausiàs March, 1C