Madrid’s good resignation in Madrid hides a little secret. Next to one of his entrance doors is one of the few anti -air -air shelters of the Civil War, which retain the capital. There are no records of whether it was used when the liba with which it was built, but in 1936, the republican authorities sent a bunker to protect the population from possible explosions under the old Boulevard of Menez Pelao.
Almost three years later, in 1938, the construction of the underground unit ended, but since the region was not punished as other parts of the city, it ultimately accepted other functions, far from its original goal. Now, 86 years later, the City Council of the capital proposed to open its doors to the public and publish this unique and unknown corner of Park Madrid. This was revealed by the mayor of Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida on Tuesday with Borgazi Karabant, a delegate of the regions of the government of urbanism, the environment and mobility, and Andrea Levy, president of the adviser Retro.
Already in 2021, the City Council conducted a general cleaning of shelter. The spaces were adapted to make visits more accessible and the provision of an electrical installation to them in order to nominate them for the public. Soon, in the summer of 2022, another look was included in the programs of the death of Madrid and Madrid with a bunker from the El Caprikho park, but very few people allowed the reduced power of these tours to enjoy this almost secret angle.
Therefore, the city council decided to think a shelter and make it accessible to everyone who wants to visit it. During the visit, the mayor emphasized the importance of this infrastructure: “We are talking about authentic engineering work, with a gallery of about 140 meters excavated underground, which allowed Madrid to protect himself during the explosions. The city council is working to blur this shelter and open it for the public with all safety guarantees. ”
The construction of the shelter began at the end of 1936 in a full air attack on the capital and was not completed until 1938. Difficulties in obtaining materials together with the lack of work – since many men were mobilized – they expanded the process. Nevertheless, its design was examined in detail: the walls reinforced on the wall are located for greater resistance, wooden shores in galleries and a lighting system with trucks that could work, even if the electricity network was cut during the bombing.
Antonio Morcillo, Deputy General Director of Green Area and city trees of the city council Madrid, also present during the visit, explains that during the first bars of the war, up to 40 shelters of similar characteristics were built throughout the city. Many of them have disappeared or remain inaccessible, but retirement retains in very good condition.
Engineering work in the survival service
“This shelter was excavated about 8 meters in depth, the measure that was considered enough at that time to withstand the effects of pumps up to 100 kilograms,” Morzillo explains. He had about 275 people, and he organized a network of galleries with three access: one on the current Boulevard of Mennessz Pelao Street, the other next to the Florida Park and the third next to a large retirement pond, today. The main access, Menentes Pelaio’s access was closed in 1972, asphalting the street, although from the inside you can still see where it was. Currently, only one of the three inputs is open, located next to the door of the Queen Mercedes del Parque.
The rectangle on the ground, usually covered with metal plates, welcomes shelter, poorly called Morcillo bunker: “The shelters were elements to protect the civilian population during the bombing, which usually did not mean more than 15 or 20 minutes, while the bunkers were military construction construction, and they thought that they were used by military authorities.” Also, one should not be confused with other people, such as a whim, which served as a military team and had a much more complex and enhanced structure.
To get to the first stay, you must lower about twenty paved stairs, which at the last stage have the main point as a “dam”, which does not allow water to get into the tunnels in case of rain. Once inside the shelter, the temperature drops by about 15 degrees in relation to the outside, and the sensation of moisture increases as the route moves.
The first room, in which there is a kind of harvester or shower, gives way to more than 100 meters of corridors that move on the left and right. This composition, with twists of 90 degrees every few meters, is not random, and, according to Morcillo, this was done “to avoid the effect of the expansive wave of explosives that could fall.”
Galleries have a vaulted structure and are completely made of brick. The ceilings vary depending on the height, from 1.60 to 2.48 meters, so they mainly allow anyone to walk without the need to lean. Stay suffers from details. For example, in order to prevent civilians from undergoing bombing, some clefts are still perceived in the wall where the boards that the bank made were built. You can also see the hooks for which the old electrical wiring has passed.
It is interesting that, despite the preparation, he never served as a refuge. But this does not mean that it was wasted since its construction. One of the most curious functions that he acquired after the Civil War has nothing to do with the bunker. From its conditions of humidity, darkness and temperature, it was used to grow mushrooms. In fact, the brand that remained at a time when shelter was used to produce these mushrooms can still be seen on some walls. Subsequently, he also served as a warehouse for park gardeners who retained their instruments there.
More than eight decades after its construction, its historical value led to the fact that the consistory considered the new use in this space. “We want this shelter not only a closed place underground, but also a visited, affordable and understandable space for citizens,” says Morcillo. For this, alarm, ventilation, safety and accessibility that allow them to be used as a historical and educational space, although it is not yet known how much they will be postponed.
At the moment, pension walkers can only imagine what is hidden under their feet. But if the work on his music promotion, as planned, this small unknown corner in the heart of the city will open its doors very soon to show that, finally, the secrets that he keeps for almost 90 years.
