abandonded the balde
The empty swimming pools, hospitals, schools and different buildings strike an unnerving melancholia in us. When we come across a space that was built to gather people and find it empty, we miss the hustle and bustle. It’s the same for all places. Except one. Architectures built to cage people, are more beautiful once emptied, are more civilised when they remind us of scenes of great escape, are more decorated once they are painted in graffiti, are cleaner once the people from the scrap yard have been and gone, are lighter once the furniture has been frozen in space, are happier when only silence can be heard, are warmer when they house those without a home.
Once the Spanish Civil War had finished, and on seeing that the Modelo Prison had been destroyed, Franco ordered the building of a new macro prison before the Porlier prison burst at its seams. 200,000 square metres of land were earmarked for the project in Carabanchel Alto. Work started on the 20th of April, 1940. 1,000 political prisoners worked in the building of the prison. Four years later, and before construction work was finished, the new prison set to house 2,000 inmates was officially opened. Building work on the prison never finished, and the jail still hadn’t been completed when it was closed in 1999.
Once the Spanish Civil War had finished, and on seeing that the Modelo Prison had been destroyed, Franco ordered the building of a new macro prison before the Porlier prison burst at its seams. 200,000 square metres of land were earmarked for the project in Carabanchel Alto. Work started on the 20th of April, 1940. 1,000 political prisoners worked in the building of the prison. Four years later, and before construction work was finished, the new prison set to house 2,000 inmates was officially opened. Building work on the prison never finished, and the jail still hadn’t been completed when it was closed in 1999.
