Monumentalising Victory: Franco’s Arco de la Victoria as “Dissonant Heritage”

Volume 50 Issue 1

Author(s):

Sarah Leggott - Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Recommended Citation:

Leggott, Sarah (2026) “Monumentalising Victory: Franco’s Arco de la Victoria as “Dissonant Heritage,” Bulletin for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies: Vol. 50 : Iss. 1 , Article 3.

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Abstract:

Over half a century since the death of Franco, competing interpretations of the history and memory of the Spanish Civil War and the ensuing dictatorship continue to cause debate in contemporary Spain. One important component of the so-called “memory wars” of recent decades has concerned the material heritage of the Franco regime, both in terms of calls for the construction of new memorials to honour the victims of Francoism and in demands for existing monuments to be destroyed, modified or reframed, proposals that have sparked fierce debate and thrown into relief the extent to which views remain polarised. In this context, this paper will discuss the case of the Victory Arch in Madrid, a monument erected in the Spanish capital in the 1950s to commemorate the Francoist victory in the civil war. Part of a larger architectural precinct designed by the regime’s architects, the Arch is located on the grounds of a university compound that became a frontline in the key battle for Madrid during the war. This article examines the history of the Arch and surrounding monuments, the historical and symbolic significance of the site on which it sits, its ideological intent, and contemporary deliberations around its future. My discussion draws on scholarly work on “dissonant” or “difficult” heritage and on the notion that sites of memory exist on a continuum between “hot” and “cold” in any given context.

Tags: Dissonant heritage, Francoism, Victory Arch