Marie Curie's discreet visit to Andaluсía... with unwanted fuss

2025 marks the 10th anniversary of International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Marie Curie remains one of the most outstanding female figures in science, giving us remarkable discoveries about radioactivity. The Polish-French scientist is recognised as a model of idealism, effort and courage, developing brilliant activity in fields that until then were reserved for men.

Albert Einstein once described Marie Curie as ‘cold as a herring’. She often looked sullen and tried to avoid flattery, applause and special attention. It was not easy, because the two-time Nobel Prize winner was an idol for many people in the world, as she brought new discoveries to world science.

Marie Curie visited Granada in April 1931, just after Spain had proclaimed the Second Republic, and the country was experiencing great enthusiasm for change and modernisation. Not surprisingly, Granada, a city known for its prestigious university and people who followed all scientific discoveries and debated them in cafes, wanted to give her an honoured welcome.

Indeed, there's not much information about Marie Curie’s visit to Andalucía. It's known that in the evening of 28 April the 64-year-old Marie Curie and her 27-year-old daughter Eve entered Granada in a vehicle belonging to the military, driven by a chauffeur. (This service was provided to the scientist by the provisional government of the Republic as a "small token of appreciation".)

The car headed directly to the hotel Alhambra Palace, located a couple of hundred metres from the gate of the Alhambra. The hotel, opened in 1910, was one of the most fashionable hotels in the country with a theatre, cinema and games rooms.

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Marie Curie wanted an inconspicuous stay in Granada and that is why her arrival had not been announced. However, she was not able to remain incognito. The tip-off is believed to have come from Antonio Gallego Burin, a professor at the University of Granada, who was then a delegate of the National Tourism Council.

He sent a telegram announcing Curie's visit, and within hours the mayor of Granada together with other representatives of the city council and several deans of the university arranged an improvised parade. The students raised the flags of their faculties and marched towards the Alhambra Palace Hotel to welcome the illustrious guest with applause. Several young men in capes and with tambourines serenaded the guests. Additionally, inside the hotel, intellectuals from Granada waited for Marie Curie and her daughter in order to pay their respects with a bow.

The scientist's visit to the city's main attraction is immortalised thanks to a photograph taken in the Court of Lions.

At the famous fountain, Marie Curie, modestly dressed, wearing a cloche hat, ‘posed’ for a photographer together with Eve. The scientist held a bouquet of flowers, which, apparently, was presented by the Alhambra administration during the reception.

Incidentally, in Marie Curie's serious look in the photo, many saw irritation at the bouquet of flowers that unwittingly occupied her hands and general resentment at such attention to her person during a private visit.

As for Eve, she tried to be as supportive and reassuring to her mother as possible and at the same time to avoid the limelight. However, despite Eve's efforts, much was said and written about her daughter. The young Curie was reportedly admired by students, and a local newspaper described Eve as "a beautiful and very nice daughter", with a number of other compliments.

Marie Curie and Eve left Granada the same day and continued their journey towards France along the Mediterranean coast with a short stop in the Andalusian city of Almeria.

Granada remembers this visit and honours the memory of a woman scientist who was a representative of the European spiritual revolution. The city has a square named in honour of Marie Curie, and her sculpture is in the Parque de las Ciencias.