On 13th February 1937, Barcelona was subjected to the first of the 192 bombing raids by Franco's army. This attack made the civilian population the unwitting protagonists of the war. The Passive Defence Board was set up in order to tackle the situation and save the lives of the local residents. The first shelters were set up in the basements of houses and in metro stations. However, as the bombings intensified, people joined together to build air-raid shelters.
More than a thousand were built during the war, and among them was Refugi 307, (shelter number 307) which has become one of the interpretation centres of the Museu d'Història de la Ciutat. This refuge consists of 400 metres of tunnel measuring 1.6 metres wide and 2 metres high. During the visit, you can discover what the living conditions were like within its walls and see the different rooms, including the toilets, a drinking fountain and an infirmary. The shelter stands at number 169, in the Poble Sec district, and bears silent witness to the cruelty of war.
General details
Address: Nou de la Rambla, 175 (08004). Barcelona
Phone: 932 562 100
Web site: www.museuhistoria.bcn.cat
E-mail: museuhistoria@bcn.cat
Opening time: Sunday, guided tours at 10.30am (English), 11.30am (Spanish) to 12.30pm (Catalan). Limited places. With reservation.
From Monday to Saturday, only groups with reservation.
Public holidays, closed.
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Accessibility details
Air-raid shelter 307 is partially wheelchair accessible due to the layout of the space. Wheelchair users may need help to move around in some areas inside the tunnels, so a companion is recommendable.
The staff has been trained in assisting visitors with disabilities.
Guide dogs are welcome.
Contact for
questions concerning accessibility or reservation of adapted visits: Tel 932 562 122, or
reservesmuhba@bcn.cat
Visiting the shelter is feasible and highly recommendable for blind people.
Indications to get there:The shelter is on Carrer Nou de la Rambla, a street running perpendicular to the Avinguda Paral•lel. To get there you have to go up Nou de la Rambla towards Montjuïc (you’ll notice the street slopes upwards as you walk along) along the left-hand pavement.
If you take this route from Paral•lel you’ll have to go across four cross-streets along Nou de la Rambla, and after the third you’ll need to walk a further 50 meters. You’ll notice a wall end on your left and a metal door, like a garage door. This is the entrance to the shelter.
The guides provide highly instructive descriptive information and during the tour visitors are allowed to touch original elements that help them understand what the shelter was like during the Spanish Civil War as well as basic building elements: a marble sink, the brick vaults, the holes in the air chamber in the infirmary, the brick “drawers” for storing utensils, etc.
Please bear in mind that although the ceiling height in most areas of the shelter is
2.10m, there is a small passageway where the ceiling is much lower and the guide or person accompanying the visually impaired visitors will have to warn them of the risk of bumping their heads.
Visually impaired visitors will also have to take care in some areas where the floor is uneven.
Guided visits in sign language can be arraged by prior reservation.
Entrance and exit:
- The entrance has a metal swing door with a clear opening width of 84 cm.
- The exit door is made of metal and has a 20-cm-high step and a clear opening width of 86 cm.
There is an exhibition area between the entrance door and the entrance to the tunnels, with panels and photographs. It is fully accessible and has a wooden platform.
Movement inside:
Some sections of the tunnels are narrow and may make access difficult for wheelchair users. The floor is made of compact earth and is damp in places.
The route through the tunnels has 4 ramps measuring between 5 and 7 m each. They have a clear passage width of 76 cm to 1.36 m, and a slope between 7% and 20%.
Toilets:
There is an adapted toilet.
The door is 86 cm wide. There is a fold-down grab bar on the left-hand side of the toilet and a fixed grab bar on the right. There is a space under the washbasin to provide wheelchair users with frontal access.
Last update: 06/06/2019
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