An air raid shelter has been discovered under La Sagrera station.

BarcelonaIn the subsoil of Barcelona, ​​more than 1,322 Civil War shelters have been officially recorded, but many more remain undocumented, and new ones are discovered every year. The latest was unearthed during the construction work at La Sagrera station and was not included in the 1938 shelter census. The structure, linked to the former freight station, is notable for its bunker-like design, and its state of preservation is quite remarkable. Begun in 1917, the freight station became fully operational in 1923 and for many years also served as a customs post for goods arriving from abroad. It was dismantled in the 1990s and is slated for demolition. According to the Archaeology Service, this is a private shelter that served the former freight station and has remained hidden for decades. The CNT collectivized the railway sector during the Civil War, and it was the workers who promoted and built the shelter. "The structure had been completely hidden and only emerged due to the earthworks involved in the current railway project and the future redevelopment of this area," explains the Barcelona City Council in a press release. The route of this shelter connected the two buildings that stood on either side of the entrance to the old freight terminal. One of them was demolished last decade, while the second still stands and houses Adif's offices.

A reinforced concrete bunker

The shelter's structure is quite exceptional. It is a bunker-type structure, excavated from the ground and built with reinforced concrete, featuring a roof slab approximately two meters thick, designed to withstand the impact of 100 kg bombs. Located about four meters underground, the structure retains two entrances, one of which has been fully documented. Inside, the shelter has two main galleries—2.50 meters high by 1.20 meters wide—that connected the twin buildings of the freight station in a north-south direction. Along the route, four large rooms, four latrines, and a space that may have served as a storage area or infirmary have been identified. In total, the structure would have been approximately 90 meters long. The shelter, where graffiti with the initials of the CNT and FAI can still be seen, was used during and after the Civil War, as evidenced by markings dating back to around 1954. "Despite some minor damage, its state of preservation is exceptional, making this shelter a unique case of its kind. It is currently undergoing a study and documentation phase using laser scanning," the city council states. During the Civil War, La Sagrera was one of Barcelona's main logistical hubs and was the target of two bombing raids in 1937. The shelters did not disappear entirely in 1939. The Francoist authorities feared they would serve as hiding places for people, weapons, or documents. In fact, many invoices remain that prove a significant number of companies were contracted to seal their entrances. However, some shelters survived. In 1962, the Barcelona City Council inventoried 153 air-raid shelters that still existed at that time, and in sixteen cases, a complete conservation study was carried out, examining tunnels and rooms, as well as the condition of the entrances and access points. After the war, some shelters even provided homes for families in need.

In January of this year, one opened to the public another refuge in the Torre de la SagreraInaccessible for over 80 years, this shelter, number 0292, is like stepping back in time. The most striking feature of the Sagrera Tower is the five signs. The instructions given to those who descended to seek refuge from the intense bombings are still perfectly legible in blue letters against a white background.

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