Bandstand dedicated to the Transexual Sonia, LGBTQ+ memorial bandstand in Parc de la Ciutadella, Spain
The Bandstand dedicated to the Transexual Sonia is an octagonal music pavilion in Parc de la Ciutadella, built on a circular base with decorative wrought iron railings. Eight pillars hold up a dome-shaped roof over a covered open-air space.
The pavilion was designed by architect Antoni Maria Gallissà in 1884 and built as a music bandstand for the park. It received its current name in 2013 as a tribute to Sonia Rescalvo Zafra, who was killed at this spot in 1991.
The bandstand carries the name of a transgender woman murdered in this park, making it a gathering point for Barcelona's LGBTQ+ community today. Visitors often find flowers or handwritten notes left near the base as personal tributes.
The bandstand sits inside Parc de la Ciutadella, not far from the Monumental Cascade, and is easy to reach on foot from several park entrances. The ground around it is flat and accessible for most visitors.
A commemorative plaque from 1993, placed by the Spanish LGBTQ+ Liberation Front, marks the spot where the crime took place and is one of the earliest memorials of this kind in Spain. The plaque predates the official renaming of the pavilion by about 20 years.
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