Triangle rosa: A memorial in the Parque de la Ciudadela

A monument in memory of the gay, lesbian, and transgender community was erected in the Parque de la Ciudadela on 21 March 2011 by the Ayuntamiento de Barcelona. The memorial honors those who have suffered persecution and repression, acknowledging the history and efforts of groups that have traditionally been more vulnerable. The design, handled by the Instituto Municipal de Parques y Jardines, consists of an inverted triangle made of stone from the mountain of Montjuïc, placed horizontally over a parterre in the Jardines Fontseré i Mestre. A pink metal ribbon borders the triangle, which has a base of four meters and two sides of three meters, and carries a Catalan inscription.

The design evokes the triangle used to mark gay prisoners in Nazi extermination camps, a symbol later adopted by the LGBT movement. The installation of a monument in a central space was part of the permanent actions for recognition and visibility within the 2010-2015 Municipal Plan for the LGBT Collective. The goal is to favor the visibility of a diverse and plural society, expressing a desire to publicly thank those who contributed to the construction of the current model of society.

While there were initial suggestions to place the monument in front of the Sagrada Familia, it was eventually placed in the Parque de la Ciudadela. This location has historical weight, as in 1991, six neo-Nazi skinheads killed the transgender woman Sonia Rescalvo in this park. More than two hundred people gathered for the inauguration on 20 March 2011, with representation from all political formations in the Ayuntamiento de Barcelona, except for the Partido Popular. The mayor, Jordi Hereu, described the monument as a declaration of intentions for a city positioning itself at the forefront of real equality without distinctions based on sexual orientation.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons