Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
Brunete
Ruined village
The story
On 6 July 1937 the Republic launched its first great offensive west of Madrid, aiming to cut off the Nationalist troops besieging the capital and to relieve pressure on the northern front. Líster's 11th Division took Brunete by surprise on the first day, but the attack stalled on Nationalist strongpoints at Villanueva de la Cañada and Quijorna and in the July heat. From 18 July Varela's counter-offensive, backed by the Condor Legion, pushed back, and Brunete was retaken on 24 July. The village was flattened and rebuilt after the war by the Regiones Devastadas agency.
What you can see today
A post-war rebuilt town; the parish church on the Plaza Mayor still shows bullet and shrapnel impacts, and the cemetery marks the last phase of fighting.
Plan your visit
Free; park near the Plaza Mayor. Combine with Quijorna and Villanueva de la Cañada (15 minutes' drive).
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunete
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunete
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Brunete
- viajaporlibre.com/espana/madrid/restos-de-la-guerra-civil-en-la-comunidad-de-madrid
Nearby sites
- Villanueva de la Cañada & Mosquito Ridge · 5 km
- Quijorna · 6 km
- Blockhaus 13, Colmenar del Arroyo · 16 km
- Fresnedillas de la Oliva bunkers · 16 km
- Cerro Garabitas, Casa de Campo · 21 km
- Puente de los Franceses · 22 km
All 158 sites in Spanish Civil War 1936–1939 →
The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The battlefields, trenches, ruined villages, shelters, museums and memorials of the Spanish Civil War across the whole of Spain, told fairly from both sides.
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