La Magdalena concentration camp declared Place of Democratic Memory

The Spanish government has officially designated the former La Magdalena concentration camp in Santander as a Place of Democratic Memory. The resolution, published in the Official State Gazette (BOE), recognizes the historical significance of the former stables of the La Magdalena Palace, which were used to detain Republican prisoners following the occupation of Santander by Francoist troops in August 1937.

Records indicate that while the facility was designed for 600 people, it held more than 1,600 prisoners between late 1937 and November 1939. Inmates suffered from extreme overcrowding, hunger, cold, and diseases such as typhus, scabies, and tuberculosis, leading to high mortality rates. The official documentation also notes reports of bodies being left on the seashore and the possibility of executions occurring within the site.

To honor the victims, the state will promote commemorative, educational, and reparative measures, including the installation of memorial plaques, interpretive panels, and digital resources. The site will be integrated into official memory circuits and geolocated on the State Secretariat for Democratic Memory's web portal.