The former headquarters of the Florida hotel, in the heart of Madrid, in the Plaza de Callao (a building converted into a shopping center since 1964) will host a cultural cycle from January 19 to 27 to pay tribute to journalism and literature and more specifically to some war correspondents, such as the Spanish journalist Ramón Lobo, who died last year.
This is the sixth edition of these days, but 2024 is a year of commemorations, since it marks 150 years since the birth of the building’s architect, Antonio Palacios, and it has been 100 years since the famous hotel opened its doors, on the 1st of February 2024. Until 1964 it existed as a hotel, but then it collapsed to become a Galerias Preciados shopping center and finally ended up in the hands of El Corte Inglés, organizer of the event through its Cultural Area department.
During these days, on Friday, January 19, the documentary Caleta Palace will be screened, which narrates the siege of Malaga in February 1937, and will feature the presence of its director José Antonio Hergueta and several other testimonies, such as Miguel Rellán or Amparo Pamplona. On Monday the 22nd there will be a debate on the pilot and journalist Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. On Tuesday the 23rd there will be a tribute to Ramón Lobo. On Wednesday there will be a debate with La Vanguardia collaborator Jordi Évole and Iñaki Gabilondo. On Thursday, women will be recognized with a dramatized reading by the Alejandría group about war reporters. And on Friday the 26th from Cibeles there will be a walk through the area to explain the construction of the emblematic building. The councilor of the City Council of Culture, Marta Rivera de la Cruz, will attend this explanatory day. And already on the last day of the 28th, Saturday, a lyrical poetry workshop has been organized that will focus on the civil war.
In addition, all events can be followed in person by streaming through Facebook and YouTube. All events will begin at 7:30 p.m., except for Saturday, which will be in the morning at 12 p.m. These are days to debate journalism and literature, which will be led by Alfonso Armada and Carlos García Santa Cecilia.
