The annual ceremony and tribute was held again in Pla de l'Ós, in La Rambla, remembering the victims of the terrorist attacks of 17 August and their families, with a wreath laid and a minute’s silence held. One of the darkest moments the city has ever experienced, the attacks left 16 people dead and over 100 wounded, from among 35 nationalities.
Families, friends, municipal officials and members of the public left white carnations before the memorial for the victims of the attacks, which was installed next to the Joan Miró mosaic in 2019. A minute’s silence was also held.
The memorial is embedded in the ground, bearing the phrase “Que la pau et cobreixi, oh ciutat de pau” [“May peace shield you, city of peace”]. The words were written originally in Arabic in one of the many spontaneous messages of grief left by people from around the world along La Rambla and are reproduced on the plaque in Catalan, Spanish and English as well. The phrase is accompanied by a picture entitled Barcelona, by the artist Frederic Amat, showing the exact time and date of the attack: “17.08. 2017.16.50h”.
A citizen memorial
After the attack, individuals from around the world left over twelve thousand items and documents in La Rambla as a sign of homage to the victims and support for their families. Collected and duly archived, those items and documents have been available for viewing on the Memorial la Rambla 17A website since August 2018.