Bunkers history

The antiaircraft warfare

An antiaircraft warfare was installed at the top of Turó de la Rovira during the Spanish Civil War. The objective was to protect the city of Barcelona from the Italian fascist aviation that used a bloody tactic called "carpet bombing" (later this tactic became generalized during World War II).

The carpet bombing caused around 800 dead, more than a thousand wounded and the total destruction of about 50 buildings. The city counted as a single defense a wide network of underground shelters and this system of antiaircraft warfare installed by the Government of the Republic.

Initially it was designed to house two guns, but in 1938 was finally disposed with four Vickers 105mm guns.

Between January 25 and 26, 1939, at the time of the withdrawal, the Republican Army disarmed the artillery pieces, but did not withdraw them. After the Civil War, the entire space was left unused leaving the remains of abandoned warfare constructions.

Los Cañones - Shanty town

En este mismo emplazamiento, a mediados de los años 40 se estableció un barrio de barracas conocido como "Los Cañones". Se aprovecharon las construcciones de la batería antiaérea como los puestos de mando, las salas de oficiales o el dormitorio de la batería para levantar las primeras barracas.

In the Can Baró neighborhood there were three shanty towns: "Los Cañones" (the Bunkers of Carmel), Raimon Casillas (on the big curve of the Carmel road, known as the curve of the pear) and Francisco Alegre (in the old quarry of Can Velez, now a large car park).

These shanty towns were in subhuman conditions, without water, light, sewage or garbage collection. From 1940 there was a Regional Plan to build an urban park, but in reality it was a free zone (there was no legal impediment), only the shanties built after 1953 were considered illegal.

The shanty towns used to have a large social activity, and the three areas of Can Baró weren't an exception, since the end of the 1960s many social demands were made and a long struggle began, ending in 1990 when the last shanities of the Calle Francisco Alegre were demolished.

Los Cañones, reached 110 shanities and 600 habitants and lasted until 1990. The other two shanitiy towns of Can Baró had 135 shanities (Raimon Casillas) and 306 (Francisco Alegre).