Plaque vanished in 2018, resurfaced online
The commemorative marble plaque dedicated to Vicenç Albert Ballester, creator of the Catalan *estelada* flag, disappeared from its location in 2018. It was located in March 2026 when a listing appeared on Wallapop offering the item for €70, according to reports from El Periòdic and El Punt Avui. The plaque had been mounted on the wall of the former Barcelona courts building at the intersection of Carrer Comerç and Passeig Lluís Companys in Ciutat Vella. That building was demolished in 2017, and the site is now an archaeological zone where work is ongoing ahead of construction of the new Barcelona Audiencia.
Amics de @reeixida, la placa que esmenteu, malauradament, està a la venda a Wallapop.
Ferran Dalmau Vilella, on X (formerly Twitter), alerted the Reeixida Foundation to the sale.
Reeixida Foundation demands action
The Reeixida Foundation, which campaigns for national memory, confirmed the plaque’s reappearance on the second-hand marketplace. It had previously submitted requests to the Ciutat Vella district and the city’s Nomenclàtor committee without success. The foundation has publicly denounced the continued absence of the plaque and the poor condition of the square, which remains unmarked and surrounded by rubble. It called the lack of response from city authorities 'shameful' and indicative of disinterest in collective memory.
The site was officially designated Plaça Vicenç Albert Ballester in 2014 during the mayoralty of Xavier Trias. The naming followed decades of advocacy, including a 1985 verbal agreement under Mayor Pasqual Maragall and a formal proposal in 2008 by the Estelada Centenary Commission. Residents and visitors can still view the empty space where the plaque once stood, near the Fossar de les Moreres and a short walk from the upcoming Òmnium Cultural entities fair.
Reported by vilaweb.cat, Jordi Ribalaygue, Antònia Castelló, naciodigital.cat, VilaWeb Feed.
