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View of Portbou and the Walter Benjamin Memorial

View of Portbou and the Walter Benjamin Memorial

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View of Portbou and the Walter Benjamin Memorial

Name: View of Portbou and the Walter Benjamin Memorial
Rating: 2

Recommended by 14 cyclists

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Location: Portbou, Alt Emporda, Girona, Catalonia, Spain

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Top cycling routes to View of Portbou and the Walter Benjamin Memorial

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1. Port de la Selva – Former French Border Post loop from el Port de la Selva

48.0km

03:15

790m

Expert bike ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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4.7

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2. Canyelles Beach – View of the Bay at Cap Ras loop from Llançà

22.7km

01:34

390m

Intermediate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

4.7

(7)

137

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3. Cadaqués – Port de la Selva loop from Cadaqués

68.1km

04:42

1,200m

Expert bike ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Tips

Fahrradpartner

April 3, 2025

The long building is the train station, formerly the largest border station between France and Spain.

Translated by Google •

Fahrradpartner

April 3, 2025

A look back, so to speak, reveals the most important sites in Portbou, the cemetery, and the Walter Benjamin memorial. Between 1934 and 1944, the Spanish town of Portbou on the Costa Brava was a gathering point for German and French emigrants.
The German philosopher and literary critic Walter Benjamin also fled across the Pyrenees to the border town on September 25 and 26, 1940, accompanied by Lisa and Hans Fittko.
Between 1934 and 1944, the Spanish town of Portbou on the Costa Brava was a gathering point for German and French emigrants.
The German philosopher and literary critic Walter Benjamin also fled across the Pyrenees to the border town on September 25 and 26, 1940, accompanied by Lisa and Hans Fittko. From there, Benjamin, who had a visa for the USA, wanted to travel on to Lisbon. Due to a heart condition, he could only make the journey very slowly. The refugees were denied entry to Portbou in accordance with a newly issued Spanish government decree. The Spanish authorities therefore denied him entry and wanted to send him back to France, where he faced arrest by the Gestapo. On the night before his deportation, September 26-27, Benjamin committed suicide by overdosing on morphine at the Hotel "Francia de Portbou." His body was buried in the local cemetery.

In 1989, at the suggestion of Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker, the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of the Interior commissioned the Association of Independent Cultural Institutes (AsKI) to plan, organize, and realize a memorial site for Walter Benjamin.

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Marc

April 20, 2025

Beautiful climb to Spain

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Elevation 90 m

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Wednesday 29 October

19°C

17°C

10 %

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Max wind speed: 32.0 km/h

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Location: Portbou, Alt Emporda, Girona, Catalonia, Spain

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Traversée de Cerbère

View of Portbou and the Walter Benjamin Memorial

1. Port de la Selva – Former French Border Post loop from el Port de la Selva

2. Canyelles Beach – View of the Bay at Cap Ras loop from Llançà

3. Cadaqués – Port de la Selva loop from Cadaqués

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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