Spanish Civil War 1936–1939

Ciudad Universitaria front

Madrid (Moncloa-Aravaca) · Battlefield

The story

In mid-November 1936 Nationalist columns under Varela and Asensio, spearheaded by Moroccan Regulares and the Legion, crossed the Manzanares and broke into the half-built University City. The XI and XII International Brigades and the anarchist Durruti column fought them building by building: the School of Architecture fell first, the Hospital Clínico became a Nationalist bastion, the Faculty of Philosophy a Republican strongpoint. Durruti was mortally wounded here on 19–20 November. The line then froze for over two years, with sniping, shelling and mine warfare under the faculties, until Madrid surrendered on 28 March 1939. The salient marks the closest Franco's army came to taking the capital by storm.

What you can see today

A modern campus rebuilt after the war; a few façades show repaired damage, and a memorial to the International Brigades (2011) stands on the campus. The Hospital Clínico San Carlos occupies the building fought over in 1936.

Plan your visit

Best walked from Metro Ciudad Universitaria or Moncloa, combined with the Parque del Oeste bunkers and Casa de Velázquez (about 2–3 hours on foot). Campus buildings are working faculties; view from outside.

Sources

• es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batalla_de_la_Ciudad_Universitaria
• es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batalla_de_la_Ciudad_Universitaria
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Madrid

Nearby sites

• Parque del Oeste bunkers · 1 km
• Arco de la Victoria (Moncloa) · 1 km
• Puente de los Franceses · 1 km
• Templo de Debod — site of the Cuartel de la Montaña · 2 km
• Cerro Garabitas, Casa de Campo · 3 km
• Telefónica building, Gran Vía · 3 km

All 158 sites in Spanish Civil War 1936–1939 →