In the footsteps of Machado and the Retirada

On the French Mediterranean coast, very close to the Spanish border, the small fishing port of Collioure has the privilege of hosting the cemetery where Antonio Machado is buried. The poet took refuge in the village on his escape from Franco’s dictatorship. He died on 22 February 1939, a month after leaving Barcelona. His mother, who had accompanied him, died a few days later, on 25 February 1939.

Antonio Machado, the emblematic Spanish poet and committed Republican under Franco’s regime, found refuge in Collioure, where he spent the last days of his life.
Today, Collioure has become a place of pilgrimage for the Spanish, who come to see his grave and also the Casa Quintana, where he lived and died.

Who was Antonio Machado?

A great Spanish poet and humanist, Antonio Machado was born in Seville on 26 July 1875. He was a committed Republican and fled Franco’s dictatorship. On 22 January 1939, surrounded by his family and a few friends, he left Barcelona and chose France as his place of exile. He was taken in at the Casa Quintana, exhausted and ill, and the poet died in Collioure on 22 February 1939.

He was buried in Collioure’s old cemetery and his grave has become a place of pilgrimage.

Itinerary of Machadian towns

Seville, Soria, Baeza, Segovia, Rocafort and Collioure all have in common the fact that they were home and part of the life of Antonio Machado, the Republican poet. – Seville: 1875 – 1883 – Soria: 1907 – 1912 – Baeza: 1912 – 1919 – Segovia: 1919 – 1932 – Rocafort: 1936 – 1938 – Collioure: 1939.

An itinerary of Machadian towns has been set up to retrace his towns of residence, and a passport accompanies this itinerary.

The story of Casa Quintana, the birthplace of the Machado memorial!

Casa Quintana, Collioure’s emblematic guesthouse, welcomed and accommodated the Machado family on their arrival in Collioure. Since 1946, a marble plaque in memory of the poet has been visible from the outside.

This guesthouse has now become the Espace Machado, a venue dedicated to the Spanish poet. The Espace Machado embodies the modest ambition to revive the memory of the poet, to retrace his exile, to pay tribute to the symbol and, ultimately, to keep poetry alive. You can take part in guided tours to find out more about the life of this poet!

The Espace Machado is closed on: 1 January, 1 May, 1 November and 25 December.

Antonio Machado’s grave

In the old village cemetery, the poet’s grave does not go unnoticed. It is often decorated with flowers and many poems and cards from all over the world. One night, two women came to attach a ceramic featuring of the last lines of the poem Retrato.
The grave is in the old Collioure cemetery at the following address: 1, impasse du Jardin Baretge. It is open from 9am to 5pm

“The special Collioure camp” at the Château Royal during the Retirada

During Franco’s regime, the Château Royal became a refugee camp for exiled Spanish Republicans known as the “Collioure Special Camp”, a camp characterised by fairly inhumane treatment.

There is a permanent exhibition on the Retirada at the Château Royal, entitled “From Exodus to Exile (1936-1945)”.
From the Spanish Civil War to the exodus. The unexpected establishment of the Republic in April 1931 paved the way for ambitious reforms – separation of Church and State, secularism, agrarian reform initiatives – which had a profound effect on the lives of the Spanish people.

The 21 December 2024

EXHIBITION “THE EXILE OF SPANISH REPUBLICANS” AND “THE SPECIAL CAMP OF COLLIOURE” AT THE ROYAL CASTLE

Browse books on Antonio Machado at the multimedia library!

You can find a space dedicated to the poet in the library: books and works are available to learn more about the life of this poet.

Key information before coming to Collioure

You are going to love …

Collioure land of history

Machado’s places

Museums

THE ANTONIO MACHADO MEMORIAL

Open. Closes at 18h00

Places of memory

ANTONIO MACHADO’S GRAVE

The Château Royal

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