Bomb shelter - Spanish Civil war

Historical Heritage

The shelter in the Plaça del Gra, like others known in Figueres, is a result of the measures taken to protect the population by the Junta de Defensa Passiva de Catalunya (JDPC, Passive Defence Board of Catalonia). These constructions are the direct consequence of the new model of warfare introduced during the Spanish Civil War: the systematic aerial bombardment of centres of population in the rearguard. For this reason, more than 2,000 shelters of this type were built in Catalonia. According to Bernils, 15 were created in Figueres, all with different capacities and dimensions, including this one in the Plaça del Gra.

It has two entrances, constructed in a zigzag from the main rooms, which form an ‘L’ shape with arms 18.50 and 10.50 m long. The entrance galleries are 1.50 m wide and 1.80 m high, while the rooms are 2 m wide and 2.30 m high. Each of them had its own latrines, with their corresponding drain and ventilation duct. The rooms also had ventilation holes. The two rooms located at the end of the west wing of the shelter could correspond to the sick bay.