Heirs of Francisco Franco to auction items from Pazo de Meirás

The heirs of former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco are scheduled to auction approximately 700 lots of items in Madrid, including antique furniture, porcelain, paintings, and portraits. These objects were removed from the Pazo de Meirás, the dictator’s former summer residence in Sada, Galicia.

The auction follows a Supreme Court ruling that definitively recognized the Spanish state as the owner of the estate. However, legal complexities remain regarding the personal property within the residence. While a Madrid court recently recognized state ownership of 559 specific items—including archival and historical heritage objects—the auction house claims the 689 lots currently up for sale have not been claimed by the state due to a lack of sufficient legal basis.

The Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory (ARMH) has formally requested that the Spanish government intervene to suspend the auction. The group argues that the heirs must prove the items are their private property rather than gifts to the Head of State that should belong to National Heritage. The ARMH contends that the auction house has not properly verified ownership and that the sale of these items constitutes an attempt to monetize public goods.