A Barcelona resident has recovered a memorial plaque honouring Vicenç Albert Ballester, creator of the Catalan independence flag known as the estelada. The significant piece of civic history mysteriously vanished six years ago, only to reappear listed for sale for seventy euros on the popular second-hand marketplace, Wallapop.

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Joan-Marc Passada, a member of the vexillological society VexiBand, took action after learning of the listing on social media. The plaque, which commemorates a key figure in modern Catalanism, was originally installed in January 2014 at the intersection of Carrer del Comerç and Passeig Lluís Companys in the Ciutat Vella district. It disappeared without a trace in 2018 during the demolition of the former ‘new courthouses’ building nearby.

A €70 Listing and a Swift Recovery

According to a report by VilaWeb, after years of its whereabouts being unknown, the plaque resurfaced this week on Wallapop. When Mr Passada contacted the seller through the app, the platform’s automated systems reportedly flagged the item as prohibited for sale. Undeterred, Passada continued the conversation outside the app and successfully arranged a meeting to retrieve the plaque.

His primary motive, he stated, was to “prevent it from falling into bad hands.” Passada has since entrusted the plaque to an undisclosed individual for safekeeping. “The plaque is now with someone who will not throw it away or sell it cheaply,” Passada assured.

While the exact journey of the plaque since 2018 remains unclear, Passada suspects demolition workers saved it. “They knew it couldn’t be thrown into the rubble and they set it aside,” he speculated. “Putting it on Wallapop wasn’t right. But saving it for eight years was.”

Calls for Reinstallation Grow

With the plaque now secure, cultural organisations are turning their attention to the Barcelona City Council, urging officials to restore it to its rightful place. The Fundació Reeixida, a foundation dedicated to promoting Catalan national history, has criticised what it calls the “inaction of the institutions” since the plaque’s disappearance.

The foundation has sent a letter to Barcelona’s mayor, Jaume Collboni, demanding swift action. In the letter, they call for the immediate restoration of “this plaque, approved by the district council and paid for by the taxpayers of Barcelona.” They added that its reinstatement “would be a way to demonstrate that memory matters to the capital of Catalonia.”

Passada confirmed that his organisation, VexiBand, would also be petitioning the council. “We will take steps to get the plaque reinstalled and see how far we get,” he said. “The moment the council wants it, we will bring it to them.”

A Decades-Long Struggle for Recognition

The journey to honouring Vicenç Albert Ballester with a public space has been a long and politically charged one. The first proposal was made in 1938, the year of his death, to name a square on Carrer de la Canuda after him. However, after Francisco Franco’s forces won in 1939, authorities scrapped the plan, naming the square Plaça de la Vila de Madrid instead.

Further attempts followed after the return to democracy. In 1985, a request was made to then-mayor Pasqual Maragall, which received verbal approval but was never formalised. It was not until 2008, following a renewed push by Fundació Reeixida, that the city council officially approved the dedication, though the city council did not finalise a location until 2013.

Prominent figures from Barcelona’s political and cultural spheres attended the inauguration in January 2014, making it a significant event. Many saw the plaque’s disappearance four years later as a blow to this hard-won recognition. Its recovery now places the responsibility back on the city’s leaders to honour a symbol that remains deeply intertwined with Catalan identity, a topic that continues to spark debate, evident in recent discussions over whether Catalan flags should be banned at the 2026 Winter Olympics.