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The article discusses the conflicts taking place in public life over interpretation of thesignificance of places of national memory. The author presents them on the example of thedispute that arose in Spain over a memorial in the Catalan city of Tortosa. It commemoratesthe Battle of the Ebro, the military operation of the largest scale and consequences duringthe Spanish Civil War. The opponents of the memorial consider it as a testimony to thevictory of Francoism and an unsightly and disgraceful element in the urban tissue. Theyappeal for its liquidation, while those arguing for its preservation and reinterpretation ofthe symbolic meaning treat it as an architecturally valuable distinguishing feature of thecity. The fate of the controversial memorial does not rest solely in the hands of localauthorities, but it has become a subject of political disagreement, disputes among residentsand non-governmental activities. They are taking place against a background of the currentlegal basis of historical memory (Law 52/2007 of 26 December), which was developedby the political Left to compensate for the harm done to the victims of the Civil War andthe Francoist dictatorship, and to implement changes in public space in connection with thetraces of Francoism. However, its content leaves quite a big decision-making margin tothe public authorities as to removing the traces of the regime from reinterpretation.