Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
Intxorta front & Elgeta memory centre
Interpretation centre
The story
After the loss of most of Gipuzkoa in 1936, Basque and Republican battalions stabilised the front on the Intxorta heights above Elgeta. They held these trenches through the winter and resisted the first weeks of Mola's spring 1937 offensive, until the line had to be abandoned in late April 1937 as the front collapsed towards Durango and Bilbao. Intxorta became a symbol of Basque resistance. The Basque Centre for the Interpretation of Historical Memory in Elgeta explains the fighting and the recovery of memory, and a signposted route leads to restored trenches, shelters and the 'Intxortako Atea' monument.
What you can see today
An interpretation centre in the village and a 5.8 km waymarked loop with restored trenches, shelters, viewpoints, the Intxortako Atea monument and the Salvador hermitage.
Plan your visit
Guided walks (about 3.5 h) usually run on the first and last Sunday of the month from the Espaloia café-theatre at 10:00; book on 943 71 89 11. The 'Elgeta memoria' app supports self-guided visits.
- Open
- Guided walks first and last Sunday of each month, 10:00 from Espaloia Kafe Antzokia, about 3.5 h; groups of 12+ any day by booking
- Price
- €5 from age 16; €2 ages 6–16; under-6s free
- Booking
- Book before the Friday: 943 71 89 11 or 943 79 64 63, turismo@debagoiena.eus
Checked September 2026 from official sources: elgeta.eus. Things change, so check before you travel.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgeta
- elgeta.eus/es/conocer/memoria/elgeta-y-la-guerra-civil-1
- basquemountains.com/elgeta-1936-1937-recorrido-intxorta
- intxorta.org/
Nearby sites
- Durango bombing – Santa María de Uribarri · 12 km
- Otxandio – Andikona bombing memorial · 17 km
- Astra factory air-raid shelter, Gernika · 25 km
- Casa de Juntas & Tree of Gernika · 25 km
- Pasealekua air-raid shelter, Gernika · 25 km
- Gernika Peace Museum (Museo de la Paz) · 25 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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