The bomb shelter of Alcoy: A war-era sanctuary constructed to protect 1,166

The bomb shelter of Alcoy: A war-era sanctuary constructed to protect 1,166

Built during the Spanish Civil War, one of 25 shelters capable of holding 1,166 people. Originally signposted 'it is dangerous to stay here'.

Constructed during the Spanish Civil War, the Shelter of Cervantes in Alcoy, Spain, was built to protect citizens from bombing raids. Measuring over 100 meters in length and composed of eight galleries, it had a capacity of 1,166 people. Anticipating that the shelter could be damaged by a bomb shock wave, original signage reading ‘es peligroso permanecer aquí’ (Spanish: ‘it is dangerous to stay here’) can still be seen. In 2006, the shelter was turned into a museum. Each gallery in the museum focuses on a specific topic that recreates data and aerial photographs from attacks by the Italian bombers. The museum features an interactive screen with military objects and a video projection with testimonies of people who lived through the bombing of the city.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

Written by Nik Frost

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