Persecuted and saved: presentation of the project

During World War II over 120,000 people went across the Pyrenees to escape from the Nazi terror.

Most were Jews but there were also military allies and Germans and French resisters. In Catalonia evasion networks to save these refugees were created. The network of rescue ranged from border crossing in the Pyrenees to the port of Barcelona.

This project defines and retrieves this European history and disseminates through training and public education these facts, little known within the extended period of deportations and internments during World War II. 

To achieve these objectives the project consists of several stages:

A research stage: files, private memoirs, witnesses...

A training stage: realization of three seminars with the aim of training teachers, culture technicians, people in charge of museums and libraries and high school teachers, besides a concluding conference study open to general public.

A broadcasting stage: carrying out a website that collects all information concerning the project, creating promotional materials, publishing the proceedings out of Barcelona study days open to citizens and producing an audiovisual presentation based on interviews and personal witnesses.

The program Europe for Citizens

The aim of this programme is to bring Europe closer to its citizens and enable them to fully participate in the European construction. By this programme, citizens have the opportunity to be involved in transnational exchanges and cooperation activities, contributing to develop a sense of belonging to common European ideals and encourage the process of European integration. 

The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) is responsible for the management of certain parts of the EU culture programmes under supervision by its Directorate-General for Communication (DG COMM of the European Commission).

Further information: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/citizenship/

Active European Remembrance

The European Union is built on fundamental values such as freedom, democracy and respect for human rights. In order to fully appreciate their meaning, it is necessary to remember the breaches of those principles that were caused by Nazism and Stalinism in Europe. By commemorating the victims, and preserving the sites and archives attached to deportations, Europeans will preserve the memory of the past, including its dark side. It is particularly important to do so now, since witnesses are progressively disappearing.

The aims of this action, in line with the objectives of the programme, are twofold: fostering action, debate and reflection related to European citizenship and democracy, shared values, common history and culture, and bringing Europe closer to its citizens by promoting values and achievements of Europe, while preserving the memory of its past.

Further information:http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/citizenship/programme/action4_en.php