Radio Liberty Museum in a drawer

Radio Liberty is stalled. The project to turn Radio Liberty into a Cold War museum is stuck in time. Although the Government agrees, no moves are being made to preserve the most universal and important radio station of the 20th century.

Project in a drawer

The environmental organisation Salvem la Platja de Pals (Baix Empordà) and the Cercle Català d’Història criticise that the project to convert Radio Liberty into a Cold War museum has been shelved, stuck in time.

They lament that the PSC promoted its approval in Parliament and now that it is in government, it is turning a blind eye.

“When they were in opposition, they made a proposal to allocate £4 million the Generalitat's budget proposals, which did not pass due to other parties”

Salvem la Platja de Pals laments that “now that it would be an ideal time to take it forward, nothing is being done.”.

For its part, the Government is in favour of reclaiming the space to turn it into a museum and protect it.

The environmental and cultural heritage preservation organizations Salvem la Platja de Pals and the Cercle Català d'Història, with the support of SOS Costa Brava, regret that "nothing is being done"to carry out the Radio Liberty rehabilitation project."It is a monument to the Cold War and a unique space that must be preserved.”, and they warn that “The buildings are increasingly in poor condition.”. They demand “an urgent investment to prevent further degradation”.

The environmentalists“ wish is for it to become a Cold War interpretation centre. In addition, they want the dune area to be renaturalised. ”It is important not only from a historical point of view, but also an architectural one,’ the association insists, recalling that the building is the work of’Agustí Borrell i Sensat, “one of the great pioneers of Rationalism in Catalonia. He was also the architect of notable buildings such as the Barcelona Bar Association and the Casa Felipó in Andorra. A fact that adds importance when rehabilitating the facilities of the former American transmitter at Pals.".

Under the rug

This claim has been on the table for years, but environmentalists believe that now “would be an ideal time to move forward with the project.” In this sense, they recall that The current Minister for Territory, Sílvia Paneque, brought a motion to the Climate Action Committee of the Catalan Parliament to move forward with the Radio Free Liberty project at the end of 2022. This motion was approved by a majority (without the support of Vox). And in early 2023, the PSC proposed allocating a budget to it £4 million in the negotiations with ERC, which did not progress.

“At that moment it was stopped”, says Bosch, who regrets that now that the PSC is in Government it is not supporting this project that the party defended. “We do not understand that it has been shelved, when they had committed to taking it forward”, laments the president of Salvem la Platja de Pals. Along the same lines, the member of the Cercle Català d’Història, Narcís Subirana, says that “We need to start writing the project as soon as possible so that Radio Liberty can be preserved.”.

Radio Liberty Museum

For their part, the Government defends that they maintain their commitment to the preservation of this space “as far as possible”. “We have been in favour of it being conserved - in those parts that the current state of construction allows - and converted into a a musealised memorial space of what was the station, as one of the only physical vestiges of the Cold War in our country”, transferred from the Government, who pointed out that “the costs of the project would need to be seen and be very clear”. In addition, the museum could also explain a part of The hidden face of radio Freedom.

Furthermore, they say that “The PSC, both in Pals, on the Baix Empordà County Council and in Parliament, has advocated for the recovery, partial if necessary, of the space Radio Liberty ”to musemify and protect it“. They also add that they are "aware of the archaeological remains beneath part of the station, which appear to correspond to an ancient fishing settlement, an area of historical interest that can also serve to explain the ancient Costa Brava".”.

DANGER OF DEMOLITION

Ràdio Liberty occupies 33 hectares within the Montgrí, Medes Islands and Baix Ter Natural Park. And in 2022, was declared a cultural asset of local interest (BCIL) by the Baix Empordà Regional Council. A declaration that adds to the cultural asset of national interest (BCIN) granted years earlier to the part of the historical and archaeological site of the fishing village and the Torre MoraCurrently, Radio Liberty is owned by the Ministry of Ecological Transition and managed by Climate Action.

Salvem la Platja de Pals is up in arms and laments that the BCIL boundaries are now being considered for modification, a change it warns could jeopardise the preservation of the transmitter's remains. “If the BCIL is removed, even partially, Radio Liberty is at risk because the buildings left unprotected within this area could collapse,” says Bosch, who insists that “the 5,000 m² of surface area” available to the American broadcaster's structures must be preserved.

DIVERSIFICATION OF TOURISM

Moreover, environmentalists argue that its preservation will add value to the nature park. A nature park is more valuable if it combines natural values and Histories, defence of Salvem la Platja de Pals. For Pals the project is important because it can Diversify tourism, which is now a beach station and focuses mainly on the summer; but it is also a national project, because of the importance this radio station had during the Cold War.

However, they criticize that the different administrations are "passing the ball" and it is not thriving. The Radio Liberty project depends on consensus between the parties involved, which are the Pals City Council, where it is located; the Department of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition of the Generalitat, which manages it, and the Department of Culture, as it is declared BCIL, and the Ministry of Ecological Transition, which is the owner.

Do you want to know a little more?

We recommend reading two articles to understand the historical value of the station in Pals.

RADIO LIBERTY, AMPLIFYING LIBERTY FROM PALS BEACH

The radio waves that fought the advance of the Soviet Union

READ

THE DARK SIDE OF RADIO LIBERTY

The influence of the Werewolf in the creation of Stay Behind

READ

Article creation date: 2/7/2025.

WE DO NOT LET OUR GUARD DOWN

If this information has been forwarded to you and you like it, subscribe here.