Sitting atop Turó de la Rovira in Barcelona's Horta-Guinardó district, the Bateries antiaèries i barraques del Carmel provide a breathtaking 360-degree view. These were initially anti-aircraft batteries, meant to shield Barcelona from Italian airforce assaults. Although they are often called the Bunkers del Carmel, the site actually contains no bunkers, only the anti-aircraft battery and its related installations.
Once the conflict ended, these installations were abandoned. A makeshift community, Els Canons, sprouted up around the area, utilizing the abandoned structures of the battery as a base for shacks. The neighborhood eventually grew to have more than 100 shacks and about 600 inhabitants. This settlement existed until 1990, when the residents were relocated as a consequence of urban transformations.
Today, the Bateries antiaèries i barraques del Carmel have transformed into a tourist attraction, but issues of massification and problems of coexistence with neighbors have surfaced. The Museum of Barcelona's History opened a space to explain the history and heritage value of this area, including informational panels and guided tours.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
Discuss this with the author and others
No comments yet. Be the first to start the conversation.