Memorial ”Forest of the Dead” (Bosque de los Ausentes) description and photos - Spain: Madrid (Topic)

Memorial "Forest of the Dead" (Bosque de los Ausentes) description and photos - Spain: Madrid. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Bosque de los Ausentes.

Photo and description

"Forest of the dead" Is a memorial monument created in Madrid in memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks that occurred on March 11, 2004. The attacks were carried out three days before the Spanish parliamentary elections and were the largest terrorist attacks in the country's history. Seven suicide bombers managed to blow up four commuter trains, killing 191 people and injuring 2,050. This terrible tragedy happened at the Atocha train station in Madrid.

It is believed that this tragedy was associated with the terrorist attack that took place in the United States on September 11, 2001 - there is evidence of the involvement of Islamic organizers in it. The date of the terrible event is also symbolic - it happened exactly 911 days (9/11) and exactly 2.5 years after the terrorist attack in America. During this tragedy, not only citizens of Spain were killed, but also of a number of other countries.

The memorial is a composition of trees, which is made up of 22 olives and 170 cypresses - one tree for each lost life.

The opening of the monument took place exactly one year after the incident, on March 11, 2005. The King and Queen of Spain were the first to place funeral garlands at the monument. During the opening, not a word was said - the relatives of the victims wished to honor the memory of the victims with silence. The opening was attended by the heads and ambassadors of other states - after all, this tragedy also affected other countries.

The memorial is located very close to the place where the tragedy occurred. The beautiful green Retiro Park is located around the memorial. Everything here is saturated with silence, peace and sadness.

We also recommend reading Monument to Bohdan Khmelnitsky description and photo - Ukraine: Kiev

Topic: Memorial ”Forest of the Dead” (Bosque de los Ausentes) description and photos - Spain: Madrid.