Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
Spanish Civil War sites in Aragon
Aragon was a front line from the first weeks of the war. Militias dug in along the sierras of the Monegros, where George Orwell served in the first months of 1937, and in August and September 1937 the Republic attacked Belchite, leaving the old town in ruins.
In the winter of 1937–38 the battle of Teruel was fought in bitter cold, and from March 1938 the Nationalist offensive swept through Aragon, reaching the Mediterranean in April. Below are the places from our free Spanish Civil War guide in Aragon, told fairly from both sides.
Aragon
Alcañiz air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelter · 3 Mar 1938 · allow 30 min
Alcañiz council built this shelter in 1937 for about 230 residents of the Almudines quarter.
Aldehuela bunker
Trenches & fortifications · 1937–1938 · allow 30 min
Before the Battle of Teruel the Popular Army built a fortified line south of the city facing Nationalist positions such as the Muela de Villaspesa.
Alto de la Torana bunker (Corbalán)
Trenches & fortifications · 1936–Feb 1938 · allow 45 min
East of Teruel the Republicans built a fortified line on the heights around Corbalán after the militia columns reached the area in summer 1936. Alto de la Torana was its strongest point.
Barbastro – Claretian Martyrs Museum
Repression & memory site · Jul–Aug 1936 · allow 45 min
Barbastro stayed in Republican hands after the rising. In the first weeks of the war anarchist militias carried out one of the worst killings of clergy in the Republican zone here.
Basílica del Pilar – the unexploded bombs (Zaragoza)
City site · 3 Aug 1936 · allow 30 min
Early in the war a Republican aircraft attacked Nationalist-held Zaragoza and dropped bombs on the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, Spain's great Marian shrine.
Battle of the Alfambra interpretation centre (Villarquemado)
Interpretation centre · 5–8 Feb 1938 · allow 1 h
In early February 1938 Franco's army broke the Republican front north of Teruel in the Alfambra valley. It overran the area of Celadas, Alfambra, Villarquemado and Camañas and made thousands of prisoners.
Belchite old town (Pueblo Viejo)
Ruined village · 24 Aug–6 Sep 1937 (retaken by Nationalists 10 Mar 1938) · allow 1 h 30 min
During the Republican Zaragoza offensive the Army of the East under General Sebastián Pozas, with the XI and XV International Brigades, turned on Belchite when the drive on Zaragoza stalled.
Bielsa museum – the Bielsa Pocket
Museum · Apr–16 Jun 1938 · allow 45 min
When the Nationalist Aragon offensive broke the front in spring 1938, the Republican 43rd Division under Antonio Beltrán ('El Esquinazau') was cut off in the high Pyrenean valley of Bielsa.
Caspe – battle of March 1938
City site · 15–17 Mar 1938 (Council of Aragon 1936–37) · allow 45 min
From 1936 Caspe was the seat of the anarchist-led Regional Defence Council of Aragon, which ran the collectivised Republican part of the region.
Civil War in Aragon interpretation centre (Robres)
Interpretation centre · 1936–1938 · allow 1 h
Robres lay just behind the Republican side of the Sierra de Alcubierre front, which was held from 1936 to 1938 by anarchist (CNT-FAI) and POUM militia columns and later by the Popular Army.
Codo – battle of the Montserrat requetés
Battlefield · 24–25 Aug 1937 · allow 30 min
At the start of the Zaragoza offensive the Republican 25th Division attacked the small village of Codo, between Belchite and Quinto.
El Muletón (Tortajada)
Battlefield · Dec 1937–Jan 1938 · allow 1 h
El Muletón is a steep hill north-west of Teruel that commands the road north and the Alfambra valley. The Nationalists fortified it as part of the city's outer defences, with trenches, shelters and a concrete cistern.
Estrecho Quinto bunker (Huesca front)
Trenches & fortifications · late 1936–1938 · allow 30 min
After July 1936, Nationalist-held Huesca was almost surrounded by Republican columns, and the siege lines around the city lasted until March 1938.
Fuentes de Ebro – tank attack of October 1937
Battlefield · 13 Oct 1937 · allow 20 min
As the last act of the Zaragoza offensive, the Republicans attacked the fortified town of Fuentes de Ebro, south-east of Zaragoza.
Las Viñas bunker (Teruel)
Trenches & fortifications · 1936–1938 · allow 20 min
The Las Viñas sector around Teruel cemetery was contested from the very start of the war. A defence line on the ridge above the prison watched the Turia riverbed and the old Zaragoza road below the city.
Mansueto fort (Valdecebro)
Trenches & fortifications · 1937–1938 · allow 30 min
Mansueto is a promontory guarding the south-eastern approach to Teruel above Valdecebro.
Montearagón castle (Huesca siege lines)
Trenches & fortifications · 1936–1938 · allow 1 h
The 11th-century castle-abbey of Montearagón stands on a hill east of Huesca. From 1936 to 1938 it was part of the Republican ring around Nationalist-held Huesca, together with the Estrecho Quinto bunker below.
Muela de Villaspesa
Trenches & fortifications · 1937–1938 · allow 45 min
The Muela de Villaspesa was an intermediate fortified point south of Teruel overlooking the Republican positions at Aldehuela and the Turia valley.
Pozos de Caudé memorial (Concud)
Repression & memory site · Jul 1936–Dec 1937 · allow 30 min
The site is a well about 50 m deep beside an old inn on the Teruel–Zaragoza road, near Concud.
Quinto – El Piquete church
City site · 25–26 Aug 1937 · allow 30 min
The old parish church of the Assumption, called 'El Piquete', stands on the Cerro de la Corona above Quinto. In August 1937 about 300 Nationalist defenders turned it into a fortress, and civilians also took refuge inside.
Quinto – Purburel / Cabezo de la Nariz trenches
Trenches & fortifications · 24–26 Aug 1937 · allow 1 h 15 min
Quinto was a fortified Nationalist outpost on the Ebro that had been on the front for a year. Its main strongpoint was on the Purburel and Cabezo de la Nariz hills, held by about 650 men behind wire, trenches and concrete works.
Ruta Orwell – Monte Irazo & Las Tres Huegas (Sierra de Alcubierre)
Trenches & fortifications · Jan–16 Feb 1937 (front static Aug 1936–Mar 1938) · allow 2 h
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.
Teruel Civil War shelters & old town (Plaza del Torico)
Air-raid shelter · 15 Dec 1937–22 Feb 1938 · allow 1 h 15 min
Teruel was at the heart of the war's harshest battle. On 15 December 1937 the Republican Army of the Levante under Hernández Saravia, with Líster's and El Campesino's divisions, encircled the city, and by 21 December they were…
Torrero Cemetery memorials (Zaragoza)
Repression & memory site · 1936–1946; memorial 1980 · allow 45 min
Zaragoza fell to the military rising on 19 July 1936 without a fight and became the Nationalists' main base on the Aragon front.
Questions
How many places are there to visit?
This page lists 24 places from the free The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939 guide, each with its story, what you can see today, how to visit and GPS directions.
How much time do I need?
Allowing the suggested time at each place adds up to about 19 hours on site, plus driving between them. Plan on about 4 days to see everything, or pick the places that matter most to you. The guide's tour planner puts any selection in driving order.
Do I need to book?
Most places can be visited without booking. 6 of them need booking or can only be seen on a guided visit; they are marked “Booking needed” below. For 10 places we checked opening times and prices on official websites in September 2026; open each place to see them. Opening times change, so check before you travel.
Can I visit every site?
Some places, especially open fields, are on private land: view them from the road or a public path. Cemeteries and memorials are places of remembrance first.
Is the guide free, and does it work without signal?
Yes. The The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939 guide is free and works on your phone with no signal once it has been opened, with maps, stories and a tour planner. There is nothing to install from an app store.
More trip ideas
- Spanish Civil War sites in MadridCiudad Universitaria, Jarama, Brunete
- Battle of the Ebro & Catalonia sitesGandesa, Corbera, Barcelona shelters
- Spanish Civil War sites in the Basque Country & the NorthGernika, Bilbao's Iron Belt, Asturias
- Band of Brothers sites in NormandyDrop zones, Brécourt Manor, Carentan
- Band of Brothers sites in HollandSon, Eindhoven, Hell's Highway, the Island
- Bastogne & Battle of the Bulge sites to visitBois Jacques foxholes, Foy, Bastogne
All 158 sites in Spanish Civil War 1936–1939 →
The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
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