Perhaps
Portbou's most famous visitor was one of the greatest philosophers
of the twentieth century, Walter Benjamin, As a stateless German-Jew
refugee fleeing Nazi-occupied France, he arrived in the town
en-route to America but was arrested by border police as he had no
French exit documents.
Being frail, the police allowed Walter to stay in a small hotel in
Avenida del General Mola, rather tan the local jail, with the
intention of returning him to France the following day. During the
night of 26th September 1940 Walter Benjamin died.
|
|
The
death certificate stated ''Brain Hemorrhage'' as the cause, but it
could have been suicide by morphine (which he carried), heart attack
or something more sinister.
Using money he carried at the time, he was buried in the Catholic
cemetery under the name of Benjamin Walter - disguising the fact
that he was a Jew.
After 5 years, when the money had ran out, he was moved to an
unmarked grave outside the cemetery. |
 |
More
Catalonia towns
Costa
Brava webcams