DZ CHARLIE

Spanish Civil War 1936–1939

Castuera concentration camp (La Verilleja)

Repression & memory site

GuideSpanish Civil War 1936–1939
AreaExtremadura
TypeRepression & memory site
WhenMar/Apr 1939–Mar 1940
Time to allow1 h
LocationRight area — the exact spot is uncertain
GPS38.72338, -5.51521
Open the free field guideDirections (Google Maps)

The story

When the Republican Army of Extremadura surrendered at the end of March 1939, Nationalist authorities built a camp on the La Verilleja estate about 3 km from Castuera, in the La Serena district. For about a year it held thousands of Republican soldiers and civilians awaiting classification and trial; many were taken out and shot, some reportedly at nearby mine shafts. The camp was laid out with a perimeter ditch, streets of barracks, a central square with a cross, latrines and washrooms. In 2009 it was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (historic site) — one of the best-preserved Francoist camp layouts in Spain.

What you can see today

On the ground: the perimeter ditch, main gate area, paved camp streets, barrack foundations and the cement base of the cross; memorial markers placed by the memory association.

Plan your visit

Site is within private farmland; access is along a marked track from the Castuera–Benquerencia road — ask at Castuera tourist office or the Asociación Memorial Campo de Concentración de Castuera about access and annual commemorative walks.

Private land: view it from the road or public path only.
Where sources disagree: Prisoner numbers range from 8,000–9,000 (Julián Chaves) to 15,000–20,000 in other estimates; the number executed is not established.

Sources

Nearby sites

All 158 sites in Spanish Civil War 1936–1939 →

The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939

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