The educational legacy of the Republic in the Balearic Islands: "Upon entering the schools, the children were amazed"

PalmUpon entering CEIP La Soledad, a feeling prevails: the space breathes and embraces. The classrooms are large; the hallways, wide, and the original windows flood the building with light. This environment contrasts with the daily lives of many students, who live in small, crowded apartments. "Working in this school is completely different. Here, in the La Soledad neighborhood, which has been stigmatized, children can feel comfortable, with space and light to grow," explains Encarna Miró, the school's director. Her words capture the living heritage of the Second Republic, when the construction of schools in Mallorca transformed education with an advanced social and pedagogical vision.

During Primo de Rivera's dictatorship, there was a large deficit of schools. Pere Carrió, former education inspector and author of the book Las escuelas de Palma en tiempos de la II República, recalls that "Joan Capó, head of Inspection, along with municipal architect Guillem Forteza and the civil governor, summoned the mayors of all of Mallorca to propose school models to be built. Thus, centers like sa Pobla, Casa Blanca, and Coll d'en Rebassa were born." With the proclamation of the Second Republic, these initiatives were consolidated with a modern educational philosophy, based on coeducation, hygienism, and pedagogical experimentation. "Republican ministers, like Marcelino Domingo, advocated for schools with wide hallways and large windows. Today, students are crammed into small spaces. Back then, you could breathe; now, it's barely enough to inhale," adds Carrió.

The Republic built 39 schools in the Balearic Islands: 10 in Palma; 23, in the rest of Mallorca; 3, in Menorca, and 3, in Eivissa. The centers followed an architectural model that combined functionality and beauty: south-facing to take advantage of light and sun, large windows, modern hygienic services, and wide corridors. Carrió highlights that Guillem Forteza "bet on a construction that recalled Mallorcan estates, with characteristic towers and roofs." An example is the CEIP La Soledat, which has a tower reminiscent of that of the Son Macià estate.

A space of freedom and community

Inaugurated in 1933, it occupies an entire island in the neighborhood of the same name. The building combines functionality and beauty: an entrance portal with a semicircular arch, a neo-baroque balcony and a terrace with a balustrade, ground floors with wide corridors and semicircular arches, and planters that run its entire length. "We have very large classrooms, with lots of light. The windows are original and huge. In summer we die of heat," explains Miró with a smile. And a detail that does not go unnoticed, the large republican shield that presides over the exterior facade of the tower.

The space allows for creative activities that go beyond the traditional curriculum: a small toy hairdresser, set up by the students with recycled materials, has become one of the most beloved activities. The current student body exceeds 390 children of 50 different nationalities, and the faculty is made up of 33 teachers. Diversity and special educational needs have led to an evolution in the use of spaces: "We have had to create support zones for students with special educational needs. But the building helps us: we have space, light, and encouragement to adapt to eventualities," explains Miró.

La Soledad is also a reflection of the neighborhood's life. A historically stigmatized area finds in school a safe and healthy space, a place where education is a right and not a luxury. "A space like this gives you great well-being, you feel comfortable, you feel at ease," summarizes Miró. Schools built during the Republic were designed with the idea that they should be spaces for social and cultural breathing, especially for children living in vulnerable environments.

The architecture was not just aesthetic: wide corridors allowed for movement activities, large classrooms facilitated cooperative groups, and constant cross-ventilation contributed to better physical health. "Nowadays many schools have lost this. The courtyards are small, the windows are closed (or broken), and the air we breathe is denser," explains Carrió.

Coeducation and democracy

If Solitude is a space of light and freedom, the CEIP Padre Bartomeu Pou in Algaida is a testament to the pedagogical transformation that led to the Second Republic. The school was built in 1936 after years in which students were to go to scattered private homes, inadequate for teaching. Gabriel Vich, who was a student and then director between 1977 and 2006, remembers it. "The teachers and students were scattered in houses that the City Council rented and they were inadequate spaces. The Republic changed all this. The schools were super-pedagogical and hygienic, with large courtyards and orientation towards the light. They were temples of culture. The children were amazed upon entering".

Joan Montserrat, head of studies at the center for more than 20 years, working in tandem with Vich and son of a former director, contextualizes the birth of the centers: "The Republic understood that to apply the Constitution of 1931, which was the most advanced in Europe, it needed an educated population. Because, if not, yes. afterwards," he laments. The republican vision involved co-education, pedagogical innovation, and dignified spaces, a philosophy that took time to consolidate. The 40 years of dictatorship were a blank and the Transition was also an educational transition. Montserrat recalls the implementation of Catalan and the participation of parents and students. "When we wanted to normalize Catalan, in the 80s, many parents and some teachers didn't see it well. Education is very conservative, and co-education also took time to implement," he says. "But we achieved it," he concludes.

Over the years, CEIP Pare Bartomeu Pou has undergone various expansions to adapt to the growth of its student body, integrating dining halls and new classrooms without losing its original architectural identity. It has also witnessed increasingly rigid and static educational regulations. Vich nostalgically recalls the closeness and familiar relationship that, in his opinion, existed before with the students: nature activities, silkworm experiments, homework reviews, and a pedagogy based on curiosity and the personal bond between teacher and student. "Everything was pedagogical and based on curiosity. We teachers tried to make things interesting and dynamic," he says.

Light and social commitment

The CEIP Alexandre Rosselló, inaugurated on April 14, 1934, and known as Ses Finestres Verdes, is a unique example of Republican educational architecture. The main entrance, presided over by four Ionic columns, gives access to a building that once overlooked the countryside. Nowadays, the school is surrounded by buildings and is in one of the most densely populated areas of Palma. Maria Sancho, the school's director, explains its evolution: "It retains its initial base, its entire structure. The building had a wing that was the janitor's house. With her retirement, the space was converted into classrooms." The school was renovated in 2015 to adapt it to 21st-century needs.

Located in Foners, a working-class neighborhood, the school has maintained a strong link with the community: neighborhood activities, integration of students with special needs, and a feminist and egalitarian project that defines the school's identity. Being a single-line school with fewer than 200 students helps create community. "We do activities like reading a manifesto on November 25th in Ses Veles square. The school is rooted in the neighborhood," Sancho highlights. The CEIPA Alexandre Rosselló preserves many original elements and has integrated modern services such as a cafeteria and gymnasium without losing its essence. The classroom doors are as old as the school: they have been opened for 92 years.

The pedagogical heritage of the Republic

Beyond architecture, teachers and inspectors recall the republican educational philosophy. Pedagogy was innovative: coeducation, Freinet and Claparède methodologies, experimentation, airy classrooms, and bright corridors that fostered active learning. During the democratic transition, the Second Republic asserted its heritage, promoting parental and student participation, spaces for extracurricular activities, and the introduction of coeducation. "During the Transition, parent associations and student participation tools were created. Before, it was 'the teacher said it? It must be true,'" recalls Gabriel Vich.

The history of republican schools is that of a constant and silent revolution: that of well-built buildings that transformed education, that of teachers who defended coeducation and teaching in Catalan, and that of students who grew up in spacious, bright, and healthy environments.

More than 90 years later, the centers built by the Second Republic still stand, faithful to a simple and powerful idea: that educating is opening windows. In a present marked by high ratios, cultural diversity, and new educational needs, that legacy endures.