REMEMBRANCE ceremonies start in Barcelona this evening ahead of tomorrow’s first anniversary of the terror attacks in the city, in which 16 people died and more than 150 were injured.

Catalan President Quim Torra will lead the acts of commemoration for 17-A, as the date is known in Catalonia, along with Jordi Munell, the mayor of Ripoli, under the slogan “Ripoli for coexistence”.

This event will include workshops on human relations, coexistence and cultural diversity.

Pere Aragonès, the vice-president, and other officials will visit Alcanar City Council, where they will be received by the mayor, Alfons Montserrat.

They will then tour a restaurant, Serramar d’Alcanar Platja, which became the operations and medical centre for those affected by the explosions of 17-A, and offer thanks to all who helped in their aftermath.

Security forces have been working over the past weeks in preparation for the main remembrance ceremonies tomorrow, which will see the normally bustling La Rambla prohibited to traffic for the whole day.

Local politicians will play second fiddle to the families of the deceased as they take part in a walk from Barcelona City Hall through the area that was the centre of the attack.

This will be followed by the laying of a floral tribute.

Media presence will be restricted to respect the privacy of grieving relatives.

Coachloads of visitors are expected in the Placa Catalunya later for the main public act of remembrance – poems, songs and readings from residents’ of the city.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia are also expected to attend this event.

This evening, Torra and other members of his government, will meet with jailed minister Joaquim Forn – who was responsible for the interior ministry at the time of the attacks – in Lledoners Prison near Barcelona.

This will be followed by a gathering outside the prison, organised by the Catalan National Congress (ANC) and Òmnium Cultural to honour the victims of the attacks and the emergency services, firefighters and Catalan Police Mossos d’Esquadra.

Saturday will see a ceremony in Cambrils, where police shot dead four suspects linked to the Rambla attack.

Here, the Memorial for Peace will be inaugurated on a roundabout near the yacht club where the attackers died, with Torra and government representatives in attendance.

Following the 17-A attacks, thousands of visitors from all over the world spontaneously left more than 12,000 objects and documents at the site where the bombers’ van stopped as a tribute to the victims.

Over the past 12 months these have all been catalogued, listed and archived on a memorial website which includes more than 4600 messages of solidarity, almost 8000 individual items and nearly 30,000 signatures in a digital book of condolence.

The work was carried out by the Museum of History of Barcelona (MUHBA), the Municipal Archive, the Communications Department and the Ciutat Vella District.

Messages have been left from many countries, including one from New Zealand, which reads: “Beautiful Barcelona. Open city and meeting place. Each generation writes its rules with their behaviour, and carries its values in their conversations and culture.

“Barcelona’s brave response to last month’s attacks re-inscribed its rules and values for all to see. Ancient cultures with open minds are hard to find. I look forward to my next visit.”

Another, from Rosana Echeverria, in Barcelona, reads simply: “Killing your sisters and brothers will never take you to paradise.”