24 Sep The Retirada: The Spanish Republican Exodus of 1939
As part of transmitting the memory of the Republican exile, the Institut de langue espagnole ELE USAL Strasbourg will host two talks by Carine Durst, a public history author on the Retirada and exile in France; these events are part of the year end “50 Years of Freedom” series commemorating the death of the dictator Franco.
The Retirada: what happened?
In January and February 1939, Europe witnessed one of the most significant population movements in its contemporary history. The fall of Barcelona on January 26, 1939, to Franco’s troops triggered a massive exodus of nearly 500,000 Spanish Republicans into France. This dramatic episode, known as the Retirada (“retreat” in Spanish), marks the end of the Spanish Civil War and the beginning of a long exile for hundreds of thousands of people.
Spanish Republican refugees during the 1939 Retirada, walking on foot with their belongings.
The collapse of the Catalan front
The Retirada took place in the context of the progressive defeat of the Republican forces by the Nationalist troops of General Franco. After three years of civil war (1936–1939), the advance of Francoist troops in Catalonia and the fall of Barcelona caused the collapse of the Republican front. Military personnel and civilians, fearing reprisals from the new regime, had no choice but to flee to the French border.
Crowd of Spanish Republican refugees at the Le Perthus border post during the retreat to France in 1939.
The Spanish Republican government had alerted the French authorities as early as January 1939, requesting accommodation for 150,000 civilian refugees. But the French government of Édouard Daladier, which had planned only 15,000 places in a few camps, was quickly overwhelmed by the scale of the exodus.
An unprecedented exodus
Between January 28 and February 13, 1939, more than 475,000 people crossed the Franco Spanish border through the main crossing points: Le Perthus, Portbou, Cerbère, and Bourg Madame. In just three days, 140,000 men, women, and children entered France under dramatic conditions.
Historic photo showing the mass exodus of Spanish Republican refugees crossing the French border during the 1939 Retirada.
This heterogeneous population included Republican army soldiers, militiamen, civilians of all ages, members of the International Brigades, as well as people with no particular political commitment, simply fleeing the war. Approximately 36% of the refugees were from Catalonia.
A difficult reception in France
Faced with this massive and unforeseen influx, the French authorities set up an emergency plan. The border opened first to civilians on January 28, then to military personnel on February 5, 1939. Refugees were initially grouped in improvised sorting centers in Prats de Mollo, Arles sur Tech, or Le Boulou, before being directed to concentration camps—the official term of the time.
Refugee camp with makeshift tents illustrating the living conditions of Spanish Republican exiles in France after the 1939 Retirada.
The largest camps were established on the beaches of Roussillon: Argelès sur Mer, Saint Cyprien, and Le Barcarès, as well as inland at Gurs, Le Vernet d’Ariège, Septfonds, and Rivesaltes. These makeshift facilities, hastily built, offered particularly harsh living conditions.
Inhumane detention conditions
Testimonies from internees reveal the harsh conditions in these camps. At Argelès‑sur‑Mer, the largest with more than 100,000 internees, refugees slept directly on the sand, without shelter, during a particularly severe winter. Rosa Laviña, interned at Argelès, recounts: “We were told to settle wherever we wanted; there were barracks (…) without floors; in Brûlon we slept on the wooden floor and it seemed to us that the sand would be more comfortable. The next morning, we looked for a hut with a floor; the sand was too damp.”
Aerial view of an internment camp for refugees in France where Spanish Republican exiles were held in 1939.
Drinking water was scarce, food was insufficient and of poor quality, and sanitary facilities were non existent or rudimentary. The camps were surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by mobile units. In Saint Cyprien, Luis Bonet describes: “We continue in vain to await a distribution of food that would appease our hunger (…) To receive us, only squares of land delimited by stakes driven into the sand have been planned. They are connected by several lines of barbed wire, to pen us in as one does with cattle.”
The evolution of the refugees’ fate
Faced with this situation, several paths were offered to refugees:
– Return to Spain:encouraged by the French authorities and by Franco himself, who issued an appeal to his “sons residing in French territory,” repatriation quickly concerned a large number of refugees. By August 1939, 250,000 people had returned to Spain, a figure that reached 360,000 in December. Sadly, many of these returnees were imprisoned or executed upon arrival.
– Integration into the French war effort: with the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, many men were incorporated into the Foreign Workers’ Companies (CTE), then into the Foreign Workers’ Groups (GTE) under Vichy. Around 9.000 joined the Foreign Legion or the Agrupación de Guerrilleros Españoles.
– Emigration to third countries: between 10,000 and 25,000 Spaniards left France for other destinations. Mexico notably received 15,000–18,000 refugees, Argentina about 10,000, and Chile 2,200.
– Deportation : tragically, more than 12,000 Spanish Republicans were deported to Nazi concentration camps, mainly Mauthausen Gusen, where 4,676 perished out of 7,288 registered.
An important memorial legacy
The Retirada has left a deep mark on Europe’s collective memory. It stands as the first major humanitarian tragedy of the European 20th century and foreshadows the massive population displacements that would characterize World War II.
Information panel detailing the groups interned at the French camp of Gurs between 1939 and 1944, notably Spanish Republicans and Jewish refugees.
Today, several memorial sites perpetuate the memory of this episode: the Rivesaltes Camp Memorial, the Argelès sur Mer Memorial, and the remains of the Gurs camp. These places of memory attest to the need to pass on this history to new generations, as recalled by the talks organized by the Institut de langue espagnole ELE USAL Strasbourg.
The history of the Retirada teaches the importance of international solidarity in the face of humanitarian tragedies and the need to preserve the memory of victims of intolerance and war.
Carine Durst
Carine Durst, author of « Un Chemin de la Retirada », is the granddaughter of a Spanish refugee. Driven by the desire to pass on to her children her grandmother’s story and that of the Gandarillas family, with Basque roots, she embarked on a personal project. Her family history is part of the historical memory of Spanish Republicans: a story of civil war, exile, renunciation, and hope.
She faced a major difficulty: how to explain this complex reality to young people unfamiliar with concepts like “civil war” or “political refugee.” She was determined that they understand the historical context of her great grandmother’s Spain.
After searching in vain for a book that would explain these events to teenagers as she wished, and reading extensively without finding it, she made a decision: to write it herself. Her motivation springs from a strong family bond and a commitment to transmitting memory.
The author will speak at two talks in Strasbourg to deepen the historical memory of the Retirada.
📅 TALK 1 : “How to talk about the Civil War and exile to teenagers?”
Audience : For teachers and education professionals.
Date : Wednesday, October 8, 2025.
Time : 6:00 pm – Welcome / 6:15 pm – Start of talk.
Venue : ELE USAL Strasbourg, 9 Rue Saint-Aloïse, 67100 Strasbourg.
Content : A pedagogical reflection on transmitting these complex themes to new generations.
📅 TALK 2 : “February 1939: Spanish Republicans in French camps”
Audience : Open to all.
Date : Thursday, November 13, 2025.
Time : 6:00 pm..
Venue : ELE USAL Strasbourg, 9 Rue Saint-Aloïse, 67100 Strasbourg.
Content :The talk will be followed by a Q&A and a book signing session.
ℹ️ Practical information:
Registration : Free entry with mandatory registration due to limited seating.
How to reserve : Send an email to info@strasbourg-eleusal.comto reserve your seat (same process for both talks).
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