For almost two months we have occupied the Castillo (Castle) in Les Planes on top of the Collserola mountain range in Barcelona. Since then a lot has happened, with this we would like to inform you about recent developments. Firstly most of the cleaning and rennovation work is, in parts completed and the social centre can present its frst events program:
Wednesday: 7pm cafe night and movie
Thursday: 3pm stick fighting and self defense class, also we work together with squatted bank in Gracia on Tuesdays to do stick fighting and self defence then afterwards a solidarity dinner.
The increasing repression against leftist, anarchist or free spaces also affects us. Our court process starts on january 24^th , we will inform you in time about actions and protests. There is still much work to be done, mainly we need a LOT of help building barricades and also need lots of materials, wood, metal, agi-props….etc etc..
Pass by and show your solidarity!!!!
Castillo Squatters 21/12/11
Edit the text that describes the project
About us
For 100 years the castle, also known as “Sanotori de Rectoret” in the Collserola mountain range in Barcelona was originally planned as a hospital for tuberculosis sufferers but this plan never came into fruitation, the first time this building was used was as a guerilla hospital in the spanish civil war, George Orwell also recovered here after he was shot. At that time the castle was known as “Sanotori Mauri”
Later the city took possession of the property and should have renovated it but instead they privatised it; some of our older neighbours speak of corruption in this deal.
The building stayed for many years unused, falling into decay and disrepair and sadly its only visitors were kids drinking and graffitti artists. It was for the first time (since the civil war) squatted around the millenium, the occupants stayed there for a few years until the police violently evicted them.
The building changed hands once again and the new owner had a plan to build a luxury hotel with an elevator and multiple level carpark. The new owner was forced to abandon this project because it is a historically protected building, thats why today there is a half finished ugly concrete construction next to the castle.
Today the owner speculates that the roof might collapse but this is what she wants as it will override the buildings protected status. She is reinforcing her plan with a bought document from an artitect which falsly proposes that the castle is unhabitable. For example it notes easily fixable things such as broken glass from when the police made their last eviction and broke all the windows, which we have already cleaned and repaired.
When we occupied the building in Autumn 2011 we immediatley started to make it better, we also met up with independent architects who showed us what we can build to make the building even more habitable and proved what we all thought: even though there is a small amount of damage due to neglect and the violence of the last eviction the building is not in a critical state of damage, they told us that it is livable as long as work is undertaken to make it comfortable and it is already completely safe to use as a social centre.
The building is not just a living space for us but a cultural free space for the exchange of ideas, projects and community events.
The owner sees us as an obstacle for her plan to leave the building to decay so she can destroy it and build a modern hotel complex overlooking the village of Las Planes, which would be completely out of character amongst this beautiful mountain scenery, she is now asking the repressive police force and class court for help…….
We wont stand for that, we hate the system that puts speculation and profit above the real needs of the people for a home and a community space!
People not profit!!!!!!!!
“The Castillo Squatters”
