Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
Ruta Orwell – Monte Irazo & Las Tres Huegas (Sierra de Alcubierre)
Alcubierre / Leciñena · Trenches & fortifications
The story
From late 1936 the Aragon front ran across the bare Sierra de Alcubierre. Anarchist and POUM militia columns faced Nationalist positions such as San Simón, and the front hardly moved for more than a year. The British writer George Orwell served here with the POUM militia, first on Monte Pucero and then on the crest of Monte Irazo until 16 February 1937. He described the cold, the lice and the stalemate in Homage to Catalonia (1938). The Republicans held these positions until the Nationalist Aragon offensive broke the front in March 1938. A monument to the Nationalist side from the 1940s stands on San Simón (699 m).
What you can see today
Excavated and rebuilt Republican trenches, rifle pits, an observation post, shelters and a bivouac line with barbed wire on Monte Irazo. Las Tres Huegas has a rebuilt camp with a command post, kitchens, cisterns and a cave shelter. Panels explain the sites.
Plan your visit
Monte Irazo is reached by a 1.5 km dirt track from the A-129 at km 34.6 (Alcubierre direction) between Leciñena and Alcubierre. Las Tres Huegas is at about km 33.5. The sites are open-air and free. Bring water and sturdy shoes.
- Open
- Free access for self-guided visits
- Booking
- Guided visits only for groups of 10+, booked in advance (turismo@monegros.net)
Checked September 2026 from official sources: turismolosmonegros.org, patrimonioculturaldearagon.es. Things change, so check before you travel.
Sources
- tracesofwar.com/sights/143824/Spanish-Civil-War-Positions-Las-Tres-Huegas.htm
- tracesofwar.com/sights/143824/Spanish-Civil-War-Positions-Las-Tres-Huegas.htm
- xn--castillosdeespaa-lub.es/es/content/otros/posicion-monte-irazo-ruta-orwell
- armharagon.com/vestigios-militares-en-alcubierre/
- patrimonioculturaldearagon.es/patrimonio/posicion-monte-irazo-ruta-orwell/
Nearby sites
- Civil War in Aragon interpretation centre (Robres) · 7 km
- Basílica del Pilar – the unexploded bombs (Zaragoza) · 36 km
- Fuentes de Ebro – tank attack of October 1937 · 36 km
- Torrero Cemetery memorials (Zaragoza) · 38 km
- Estrecho Quinto bunker (Huesca front) · 39 km
- Montearagón castle (Huesca siege lines) · 40 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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