• »Passages« – An Homage to Walter Benjamin
The memorial »Passages« of the Israeli artist Dani Karavan, opened in 1994 in Portbou in Catalonia, commemorates the German-Jewish philosopher Walter Benjamin (1892–1940) who, as a refugee from the Nazis, chose to end his life here.
Image: Portbou, 1936, View of the town, Almogaver
Portbou, 1936, View of the town, Almogaver

Image: Portbou, 1995, Entrance to the corridor of »Passages«, Frank Mihm
Portbou, 1995, Entrance to the corridor of »Passages«, Frank Mihm
Between 1934 and 1944, the coastal town of Portbou on the Costa Brava near the French border was an important meeting point for emigrants from France and Germany. The German philosopher and literary critic Walter Benjamin arrived as a refugee in Portbou after crossing the Pyrenees Mountains led by Lisa (1909–2005) and Hans (1903–1960) Fittko on September 25 and 26, 1940. From there, Benjamin wanted to travel on to Lisbon and from there to the United States for which he had a valid visa. The Spanish authorities, however, refused him entry and decided to send him back to France where he was most likely to be arrested by the Gestapo. In the night before his deportation, from September 26 to 27, Benjamin took his own life in the Hotel »Francia de Portbou« by overdosing morphine. His body is buried in the local cemetery.
Image: Portbou, 1936, View of the town, Almogaver
Portbou, 1936, View of the town, Almogaver

Image: Portbou, 1995, Entrance to the corridor of »Passages«, Frank Mihm
Portbou, 1995, Entrance to the corridor of »Passages«, Frank Mihm
The Geman-Jewish philosopher, cultural and literary critic, translator and refugee Walter Benjamin (1892–1940) ended his own life in the night of 26 to 27 September 1940 in Portbou. His best known works are »The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction« from 1935 and his unfinished »Passagen-Werk« (»The Arcades Project«).
Image: Berlin, 1930, Walter Benjamin, International Walter Benjamin Society
Berlin, 1930, Walter Benjamin, International Walter Benjamin Society

Image: Portbou, 2004, Walter Benjamin's gravestone, Klaus Liffers
Portbou, 2004, Walter Benjamin's gravestone, Klaus Liffers
The idea for the memorial came from German President Richard von Weizsäcker (1920–2015). It is situated in front of the entrance of the cemetery of Portbou where Walter Benjamin is buried. The environmental sculpture »Passages« which can be entered and crossed on foot was designed by the Israeli artist Dani Karavan and inaugurated on May 15, 1994 in the presence of Lisa Fittko. She was an Austrian resistance fighter who had helped Walter Benjamin cross the Pyrenees to Spain. »Passages« consists of different elements made of steel spread across the landscape. At the end of the corridor that leads to the Mediterranean Sea, there is the German quote: »It is harder to honour the memory of the nameless than that of the famous. Historical construction is dedicated to the memory of the nameless. Walter Benjamin, G. S. I, 1241«. It is a quote from his last essay »On the Concept of History«, written in 1939.
Since September 2007, there is a tourist path from Banyuls-sur-Mer to Portbou, following the exact route that Lisa and Hans Fittko used to help refugees get to Spain. It bears the name »Ruta / Chemin Walter Benjamin«.
Image: Portbou, 2013, View of the memorial, Awersowy
Portbou, 2013, View of the memorial, Awersowy

Image: Portbou, 1995, View toward the sea to the cemetery and Karavan's »Passages«, Frank Mihm
Portbou, 1995, View toward the sea to the cemetery and Karavan's »Passages«, Frank Mihm
Image: Portbou, 1995, Memorial plaques at the sea, Frank Mihm
Portbou, 1995, Memorial plaques at the sea, Frank Mihm
Image: Portbou, 1995, Memorial plaque from 1979, Frank Mihm
Portbou, 1995, Memorial plaque from 1979, Frank Mihm
Image: Portbou, 2013, Information sign and memorial in front of the cemetery gate, Awersowy
Portbou, 2013, Information sign and memorial in front of the cemetery gate, Awersowy
Image: Portbou, 2013, A portrait of Walter Benjamin at the end of the corridor, Awersowy
Portbou, 2013, A portrait of Walter Benjamin at the end of the corridor, Awersowy
Image: Portbou, 2013, Internal view of the corridor, Awersowy
Portbou, 2013, Internal view of the corridor, Awersowy
Image: Portbou, 2013, A quote by Walter Benjamin inside the corridor, Awersowy
Portbou, 2013, A quote by Walter Benjamin inside the corridor, Awersowy
Name
»Passatges« – El Memorial Walter Benjamin a Portbou
Address
Pujada del Mirador
17497 Portbou
Phone
+34 (0)972 390 284
Fax
+34 (0)972 125 123
Web
http://walterbenjaminportbou.cat/
E-Mail
portbou@portbou.cat
Open
The memorial is accessible at all times.
Possibilities
Annual memorial ceremony on 11 September; programs are posted on the city’s official website