Pujalt i la base d’instrucció del XVIII cos d’exèrcit (1936-1939): Canvis, ruptures i continuïtats

In the spring of 1938, after the Aragonese front dissolution that took place due to the intervention of Franco’s exercise, the republican troops had to reorganize their military service. The settlements located in Lleida’s area and in the center of Catalonia started suffering the ravages of war after experiencing a quiet period during the first years of the Spanish civil war. Pujalt’s small agricultural village, located between Lleida’s and Barcelona’s provinces, is a paradigmatic case and an example of this situation. The XVII Republican Army Corps chose this village as the central spot for its soldiers’ rest and training. Through oral, archivistic, newspaper and archaeological sources, this book presents the key elements to understand the difficulties and military interferences in local matters. The complex spatial structure demanded a new training base for rest, hygiene and provisioning that lead to the seizure of several buildings and the construction of new spaces for the republic’s future soldiers. The complicated adaptation of the village’s population and the soldiers was the origin of frictions, conflicts and strange deaths. Many of these spaces have become relevant historical Spanish remains that have experienced a museization process.