Open plaza at the foot of the memorial

The Valley of the Fallen - Remembering the Civil War

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June 1st 2013
Some 60km northwest of Madrid midway between the towns of El Escoril and Guadarrama an enormous cross stands in the middle of a giant pine forest. It's quite hard to get there. Indeed, without a car, we would probably never have done so. It doesn't even seem to receive a lot of publicity, but then again, the Spanish Civil War is still a very touchy subject. The cross and the carved figu ... read more

Europe » Spain » District of Madrid » El Escorial

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Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in ... ... read more