Controversial heritage: the Valley of the Fallen

Abstract

[EN] Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyse the concept of dark tourism and apply it to the Valley of the Fallen in Spain, a controversial monument that is a symbol of the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent dictatorship.

Design/methodology/approach First, the authors carried out a literature review to get an insight into the concept of dark tourism, the types of existing dark tourism and the methods that are applied to the main cases around the world. Then, the authors analysed the case through a content analysis of press articles and interviews.

Findings The authors propose a way to change the current symbolism and connotations of the Valley of the Fallen towards a new symbolism engaging all the stakeholders involved, from a dark tourism point of view.

Research limitations/implications Applying this new symbolism requires attaining a difficult consensus that Spain has not yet been able to put into practice.

Originality/value The dark tourism framework is an opportunity to link both economic and educational objectives, co-working on a model of consensus, but there is a gap in the literature on dark tourism in terms of Spain's history. This strategy could be also applied to other controversial heritage with similar characteristics, according to different positioning classifications.