Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
Refugios de la Guerra Civil, Almería (air-raid shelters)
Air-raid shelter
The story
Almería, the Republic's main port on the south-east coast, was bombed repeatedly from the air and the sea — the local memory association counts 57 raids. The worst single attack came at dawn on 31 May 1937, when the German cruiser Admiral Scheer and four destroyers shelled the city in reprisal for a Republican air attack on the cruiser Deutschland off Ibiza; around 19–20 civilians died. In response the city dug one of Europe's largest civilian shelter networks: more than 4 km of galleries about 9 m underground, built 1936–38 for some 40,000 people, with an operating theatre and store rooms. The city was also swollen by refugees from the fall of Málaga in February 1937.
What you can see today
About 1 km of restored galleries, the underground operating theatre, a food store and an introductory video; entrance kiosk on Plaza Manuel Pérez García.
Plan your visit
Temporarily closed for works. When open: guided visits only (in Spanish, c. 1 hour), tickets in advance at almeriaculturaentradas.es or by phone (950 268 696). Small fee.
- Price
- €3 adults; €2 under-18s, over-64s, groups 15+; under-6s free
- Booking
- Guided visits only, tickets bought in advance at almeriaculturaentradas.es
- Notice
- Temporarily closed for improvement works and museum renovation; press (Jun 2026) reports shut since 5 Mar 2025 after a fire, reopening planned Nov 2026
Checked September 2026 from official sources: turismodealmeria.org, andalucia.org, andaluciainformacion.es. Things change, so check before you travel.
Sources
- juntadeandalucia.es/cultura/agendaculturaldeandalucia/espacios/almeria-refugios-de-la-guerra-civil
- juntadeandalucia.es/cultura/agendaculturaldeandalucia/espacios/almeria-refugios-de-la-guerra-civil
- laguiaviajera.com/refugios-la-guerra-civil-almeria/
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardment_of_Almer%C3%ADa
- ladesbanda.es/puntos-de-memoria/
Nearby sites
- Puerto de Almería & Parque de las Almadrabillas · under 1 km
- Fuerte de Carchuna and the Motril front, Granada coast · 88 km
- Barranco de Víznar (mass graves, Place of Memory) · 106 km
- Parque Federico García Lorca, Alfacar (Fuente Grande) · 107 km
- Huerta de San Vicente (García Lorca house-museum), Granada · 108 km
- Puente Viejo de Maro (Desbandá crossing), Nerja · 124 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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