Our initial visit to Portbou aimed to embark on the GR92 route, or “Camino de Ronda” to Cap de Creus. However, the history of Walter Bendix Schönflies Benjamin’s passage through Portbou in Catalonia, and the mystery that surrounded it for over 50 years, prompted a change of plans.
What does Walter Benjamin have to do with Portbou? It took me several days to find out. I learned that after seven years of exile and losing his German citizenship in 1939, he departed from Paris towards Lourdes in May 1940. His goal: to meet with Hannah Arendt and attempt to travel to the United States, the destination for most Jewish thinkers from the Frankfurt School.
The initial news upon his arrival in Lourdes was not what he expected; the only way to undertake his long-awaited journey to freedom was to obtain a visa from the American consulate, clandestinely cross into Spain, traverse the entire territory to Portugal, and embark from there to the United States. Benjamin was keenly aware that from that moment on, his fate would depend on many factors, so each small milestone would be seen as a victory, and failure was more than a possibility. He had to be prepared for it.
Days later, he set off for Port-Vendres. Upon reaching his destination, he encountered another problem: the impossibility of crossing the French border. Like hundreds of other Jewish exiles, he chose the only way to enter Spanish territory; through a path known as the “Lister route” that led to Portbou.
On the evening of September 24th, Lisa Fittko, Walter Benjamin, Henny Gurland, and her son Joseph conducted a reconnaissance of the path. Benjamin, very fatigued due to his fragile health, decided to spend the night outdoors and wait until the next day to complete the journey. Early on the afternoon of September 25th, he managed to reach the summit and hours later descended to Portbou.
Immediately, he presented himself at the Spanish police station at the central train station, aiming to request transit authorization on the way to Portugal. It was denied, and he was ordered to be deported to France the following morning; in other words, handed over to the German authorities.
That night, under police surveillance, he stayed at the former Hotel Francia, currently closed. Benjamin occupied room number 3, made several phone calls, wrote a few letters, and finally took a large dose of morphine he had carried with him since his passage through Marseille. The following morning, on September 26th, 1940, hotel employees found his lifeless body lying on the bed. He was 48 years old. Two days later, he was buried in a rented niche numbered 563 in the Catholic section of the Portbou cemetery.
A brief note found among his belongings summarizes his brief passage through the Pyrenees:
“In a hopeless situation, I have no choice but to put an end to it. It will be in a small Pyrenean village where nobody knows where my life will end. I ask you to convey my thoughts to my friend Adorno and explain to him the situation I found myself in. I don’t have enough time to write all the letters I would have liked to…”
Shortly thereafter, Hannah Arendt visited Portbou with the intention of paying tribute to her deceased friend, but she did not find any tombstone bearing his name in the cemetery. This was expected, as it was not until 1991 when official documents detailing the philosopher’s final moments, causes of death, and the exact location of his remains were made public… in a mass grave since 1945.
Following Walter Benjamin’s urban route in Portbou, clearly marked in 5 points, depicting the last 12 hours of life of one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century, is a truly unique opportunity to experience history, reflect on its consequences, and seriously question why in the 21st century there are still cases where race, creed, or skin color determine the fate of a human being.
