Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
Cerro Garabitas, Casa de Campo
Madrid (Casa de Campo) · Battlefield
The story
At 677 m, Garabitas is one of the highest points of the Casa de Campo, the former royal hunting estate through which Nationalist columns attacked Madrid in November 1936. Varela's troops took the hill on 13 November and held it for the rest of the war despite Republican counter-attacks, including by the XI International Brigade. From December 1936 their batteries here shelled the city centre, the Gran Vía and the Telefónica building. The front line across the park stayed almost static until March 1939, and several concrete bunkers from both sides still survive in the woods.
What you can see today
A panoramic summit with a ranger watchtower and views over Madrid; scattered bunkers and trench traces in the surrounding park.
Plan your visit
Free, open park; walk up from the Lago or Batán Metro stations (about 45 minutes). Take a map: signage for war remains is limited.
- Open
- Open all year; closed to private cars
- Price
- Free
Checked September 2026 from official sources: esmadrid.com. Things change, so check before you travel.
Sources
- es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerro_Garabitas
- es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerro_Garabitas
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_de_Campo
Nearby sites
- Puente de los Franceses · 2 km
- Parque del Oeste bunkers · 2 km
- Ciudad Universitaria front · 3 km
- Arco de la Victoria (Moncloa) · 3 km
- Templo de Debod — site of the Cuartel de la Montaña · 3 km
- Telefónica building, Gran Vía · 5 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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