Montjuïc, Tibidabo, Güell Park and the Telefèric del Port are some of the finest spots to take in the stunning scenery that the Catalan capital has to offer. However, under the Barcelona sun on a beer-drenched late afternoon walk, the Carmel Bunkers are your best bet. With unparalleled city views, concrete remnants of Catalonia’s history and a somewhat “unspoiled” status (given the astounding popularity of tourist sites around the city), we were more than impressed.
After arriving in the unassuming El Carmel district via the metro from our accommodation in Les Courts, a couple of unsuccessful attempts to board the bus (long story) and grab a ride share taxi meant that the intense but highly rewarding 30-minute or so walk uphill was the only option. This is a summer trip to Spain, after all - what were we expecting?
Perched on the lush, green, tree-covered Turó de la Rovira, the Carmel bunkers consist of the concrete remains of anti-aircraft fortifications constructed in 1938 during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), to protect the city from the bombing campaign waged by German and Italian forces allied to the Franco regime. Four anti-aircraft guns were stationed on the strategic position, designed to defend power plants, factories, ports and railway infrastructure.
During the extreme poverty of the Franco era, many locals sought refuge in the area, which constituted a shanty town for a number of decades. In the 1960s, over 3,000 residents occupied the vicinity, before Barcelona’s City Council re-housed the residents ahead of the 1992 Olympic Games, effectively rendering the area abandoned, with the bunkers fading into obscurity until relatively recently.
Down a few rickety steps sits a small museum. Free to enter, if you provide your country of origin, it impressively documents El Carmel and the city’s turbulent history throughout the civil war, fascism and the rapid urban development and re-housing of the city’s population.
The bunkers offer a 360-panoramic view of the city. After hopping a small fence, visitors sit on a large concrete slab on the edge of the hill, dangling their feet over the side whilst playing cards and cracking a beer. With only a handful of others around, including some serious hiking enthusiasts and a couple of tourist photographers who were handy with a drone, the site appears much quieter than the other aforementioned spots, which gets to the crux of the popularity of the Carmel bunkers, seen by many as one of finest alternative spots in the city.
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