The URJC, present at the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Leipzig

On April 17, teachers from the FAH, attended the celebration of the anniversary of their liberation from Nazism with an international ceremony that paid tribute to Robert Capa, a key figure in European visual memory.

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On behalf of the Platform '#SavePeironcely10', a Spanish delegation made up of drawing professors from the University, Tomás Zarza and Miguel Sánchez-Moñita; along with Uría Fernández and Soraya Egido, from the Manuel Fernández Lito Foundation, was invited to participate in official events organized by the Capa Haus Initiative and in the international symposium 'Robert Capa and the Power of Images. Leipzig 1945'.

One of the most significant moments of the trip occurred when the Platform members presented a symbolic gift to Leipzig's First Deputy Mayor: a bas-relief plaque recreating the iconic Robert Capa photograph taken in Madrid, the work of Emma García-Castellanos, sculptor and drawing professor at the URJC. This artistic piece was offered as a symbol of brotherhood between Leipzig and Madrid.

During the symposium, Miguel Sánchez-Moñita highlighted the similarities between the projects of the Capa Haus and Peironcely 10: “Here they have transformed a place of pain into a space of memory, culture, and peace. We aspire to the same thing: that the Vallecas building, immortalized by Capa in 1936, ceases to be a symbol of abandonment and becomes a living space of remembrance and dignity.”

Tomás Zarza, for his part, highlighted the importance of the symposium, which was attended by renowned international experts such as Michel Lefebvre, Cynthia Young, Irme Schaber, and Fernanda Chandles, specialists in the work of Capa and Gerda Taro. “Participating in this symposium has been a deeply enriching experience. It has allowed us to situate the case of Peironcely 10 within the European context of memory. The shared reflection with leading researchers confirms that Capa remains a powerful tool for thinking about the present from the perspective of the past, and that spaces like Peironcely must be activated as living spaces of collective consciousness and learning,” Zarza stated.

'#SalvaPeironcely 10' is a project that began in 2010 with the goal of preserving the historical memory of the building that bears the same name. Rey Juan Carlos University is one of the many institutions fighting for this iconic building to be accepted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Property of Patrimonial Interest for the Community of Madrid.