Cuelgamuros crypts hold remains of over 33,800 victims

The crypts of Cuelgamuros, located beneath a basilica in the Madrid mountains, house the remains of more than 33,800 victims of the Spanish Civil War and the Franco dictatorship. Many of these individuals were transferred to the site over several decades without the knowledge or consent of their families.

Forensic teams have been working at the site since 2023 under the 2022 Democratic Memory Law, which grants families the right to request the search, exhumation, and identification of their relatives. Currently, specialists are working to identify 214 specific individuals requested by families. The task is complicated by extreme environmental conditions, including 90% humidity and a lack of natural light, as well as the degradation of bone material and the mixing of remains in collective containers.

For the first time, RTVE has gained access to film inside the crypts, which had remained closed to the media for decades. The resulting documentary, ‘Cuelgamuros: entre lo difícil y lo imposible’, is scheduled to premiere at the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival on September 22 before broadcasting on public television.