Camí de la Retirada

Camí de la Retirada refers to routes and paths in the eastern Pyrenees used by Republican exiles at the end of the Spanish Civil War. One of the best known paths, today signposted as a trail for hiking or biking, runs for from Molló to Prats de Molló via Col d'Ares at above sea level. It is estimated that about 100,000 people of all ages used this path in January and February, 1939.

History

The fall of Barcelona on 26 January 1939 caused a mass exodus of both civilians and soldiers who fled to the French border. This withdrawal – known in Catalonia as La Retirada – led to the displacement of close to 500,000 people, one of the largest refugee crises in Europe of all time. Mountain paths in Cerdanya and Ripollès were used as alternatives to increasingly impassable roads in Alt Empordà. All refugees entering France were disarmed and arrested.