Bunkers del Carmel

High above the Catalan capital stands one of the most dramatic reminders of a city under siege. The Bunkers del Carmel were built in 1937 as anti-aircraft fortifications during the Spanish Civil War, when the city became the first major European metropolis to suffer systematic aerial bombardment. Atop Turó de la Rovira hill at 262 meters, these concrete platforms housed four Vickers 105 millimeter anti-aircraft guns that became the shield against Italian and German bombers.

Between 1937 and 1939, approximately 200 bombing raids killed around 2,750 people and injured 7,000 more. The guns went into operation on March 3, 1938, creating a defensive barrier over the entire metropolitan area. After the war ended, the weapons were removed but the structures remained.

During the Franco regime, extreme poverty drove hundreds of families to turn these military ruins into homes. What became known as the shantytown of Los Cañones grew to house over 3,000 people by the 1960s, representing 7 percent of the population at its peak.

Before the 1992 Olympic Games, residents were rehoused and the area was abandoned. In 2011, the History Museum excavated and partially restored the site, installing information panels that detail the role these fortifications played in defending against fascist aviation and later sheltering families during decades of hardship.