Franco's Heirs Ordered to Give Up 19th-Century Palace

Francisco Franco's heirs have been ordered by a Spanish court to give up the summer palace that has been in the family's control for the last 82 years. The ownership of Pazo de Meirás was called into question in February 2018, when the dictator's descendants listed the 19th-century palace for sale for $9.5 million, reports the BBC. The Guardian reports a judge ruled that the property had been given to Franco by the people in 1938, and not given to Franco by name but "to the generalísimo of the armies and the head of the national state."

Though he "purchased" it in 1941, Judge Marta Canales said that sale was null because Franco "paid nothing" in the transaction and therefore "bought nothing." The AP reports a Spanish government rep hailed the ruling, which Franco's heirs intend to appeal. Per the rep, "The government is taking very seriously the democratic memory and the recovery of all the heritage that was robbed from the Spanish people in a fraudulent manner." (More Francisco Franco stories.)