Podcast Summary

Podcast: Todo Concostrina (SER Podcast)
Episode: Acontece que no es poco | La fuga del fuerte de San Cristóbal: la gran evasión…a la española
Date: May 22, 2023
Host: Nieves Concostrina

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of "Acontece que no es poco" with Nieves Concostrina revisits the extraordinary and little-known mass escape from the Fuerte de San Cristóbal, a Spanish prison near Pamplona, on May 22, 1938. With Concostrina's characteristic blend of historical rigor and irreverent commentary, she paints a picture of the dire conditions inside the prison, the organization of the escape (dubbed "the great escape, Spanish style"), and the brutal aftermath faced by the prisoners. The story is dedicated to the memory of the 220 men murdered after the escape, highlighting ongoing efforts by families to discover the fates of their relatives and criticizing the lack of historical memory in Spain.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Prison and Its Inmates (04:40 - 07:10)

• San Cristóbal’s Function: Originally meant for 800, the prison was packed with up to 2,500 inmates after the 1936 coup.
• Reason for Imprisonment: Most prisoners were accused of “rebellion, sedition or support for the Republic.”
  • “En España había un gobierno legítimo y democrático y unos militares fascistas españoles... esos dieron un golpe de Estado.” — Nieves Concostrina [05:10]
• Conditions: Hunger, cold, disease, and overcrowding plagued the prisoners due to corruption and mismanagement.

2. The Mass Escape – Context & Organization (07:10 – 09:02)

• Date: May 22, 1938 (the escape’s 85th anniversary).
• Scale: 795 men attempted escape. Only three successfully reached France.
• Comparison to 'The Great Escape' Film: Coincidences pointed out, including the number of successful escapees, the reprisals, and some prisoners returning out of fear.
• Secret Planning: Thirty prisoners organized the escape using Esperanto to avoid detection.
  • “La organizaron entre 30 presos sin que los otros se enteraran porque se comunicaban en esperanto. [...] Entre esos 30 lo organizan hablando raro...” — Nieves Concostrina [07:55]
• Execution: Exploited reduced vigilance during guards’ dinner; chaos ensued as hundreds ran for freedom, some mistakenly believing they were being released because the war had ended.

3. The Aftermath – Brutality and Massacre (09:02 – 11:41)

• Government Response: Over 200 escapees killed by the authorities as they fled, often buried in unmarked mass graves.
  • “Los abatieron a tiros persiguiéndolos por el monte.” — Nieves Concostrina [09:42]
• Reprisals: Some captives returned and were executed publicly for deterrence. Others were tracked down and killed, often with the aid of local informants.
• Burials: “Cementerio de las botellas”—a mass grave where bottles with identification were placed with the bodies, most of which deteriorated over time.

4. The Prison's Legacy & Historical Oblivion (12:15 – 14:49)

• Numbers: Around 7,000 men passed through San Cristóbal; one in five died.
• Survivor Testimonies: Corpses would be left in snow in winter to delay decomposition.
  • “Te despertabas por la mañana y veías al de al lado todo hinchado por vitaminosis… muerto. Al día siguiente otro y otro.” — Nieves Concostrina (reading a survivor account) [12:55]
• Ongoing Repression: The prison operated until 1945; many families are still searching for information about their loved ones.
• Recent Efforts: The Spanish government began releasing prison records in 2022 for investigation and acknowledgment of these crimes.

5. Cultural and Political Critique (04:14, 14:49)

• Critique of Historical Memory: The episode regularly references the reluctance of Spanish right and far-right parties to confront this past or support efforts at historical memory.
  • “Y eso que a los políticos de derechas les parecen mamandurrias de la memoria histórica.” — Nieves Concostrina [12:28]
• Call for Recognition: Concostrina laments that there is still no film or widespread recognition of the event, contrasting it sharply with international stories like "The Great Escape."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dedication to the Executed:
  “Al final de la película [La gran evasión]... hay una leyenda que dice ‘esta película está dedicada a los 50’. Bueno, pues nosotros vamos a decir este ‘Acontece, que no es poco’ está dedicado a los 220.” — Nieves Concostrina [03:15]
• On Historical Repression:
  “Decenas de familias están buscando hoy a sus parientes en esas fosas de no sé quién para intentar meterlos en un nicho identificado y cerrar el duelo.” — Nieves Concostrina [10:19]
• On Official Explanations:
  “La excusa para semejante matanza es que los huidos se resistían a ser capturados.” — Nieves Concostrina [09:26]
• On the Ongoing Silence:
  “Pero es un historión... mucha gente pendiente de saber dónde está su familia. Mucha gente.” — Nieves Concostrina [14:57]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:56 – 01:37: Personal greetings and mention of a recent event in Urueña
• 02:12 – 04:14: Introduction to the Fuerte de San Cristóbal escape and comparison to 'The Great Escape'.
• 04:40 – 07:10: Context: prison conditions, who was imprisoned, and the reason for mass incarceration.
• 07:10 – 09:02: How the escape was organized and carried out.
• 09:02 – 11:41: Government response, executions, and the fate of the escapees.
• 12:15 – 14:49: Legacy, ongoing searches for the disappeared, recent archival releases.
• 14:49 – 14:57: Call for a film and more recognition.

Tone & Style

Nieves Concostrina’s narration is, as always, direct, critical, occasionally sardonic, and passionate about exposing historical truths. She interweaves documented facts, pointed political commentary, moments of black humor, and personal appeals from listeners, making the episode accessible and emotionally compelling.

Summary Takeaway

This episode confronts the tragic and too-often forgotten history of the Fuerte de San Cristóbal escape, denouncing both the original atrocities and their subsequent silence or minimization in Spanish collective memory. It calls for ongoing remembrance, historical justice, and wider cultural recognition of the victims and the families still seeking truth and closure.