1936-1939. The Spanish Civil War in Tortosa

Discover the Spanish Civil War in Tortosa through the streets, squares and sites that still help reveal one of the most significant periods in the city’s modern history. This guided tour by CONFICON explores Tortosa between 1936 and 1939. During these years, air raids and the course of the conflict profoundly transformed the city and the everyday lives of its inhabitants.

Over approximately two and a half hours, you will walk through places connected with some of the key events of those years. In addition, you will enter Air-Raid Shelter No. 4, where you can gain a closer understanding of the experiences of civilians during the air raids. As a result, streets that are part of everyday life today reveal another layer of Tortosa’s history.

Spanish Civil War in Tortosa: exploring the sites of history

Tortosa’s strategic position on the River Ebro, together with its important road and railway connections, made the city particularly significant during the Spanish Civil War.

The route allows you to discover this history in the places where events unfolded. For example, the tour passes through the former Plaça de la República, now Plaça d’Alfons XII, as well as the Sabaté Clinic, the former fishermen’s quarter and the railway bridge. In addition, you will discover other sites connected with this period, including the churches of Els Dolors and La Puríssima and the former Town Hall.

As you walk through the city, the guide’s explanations help you imagine what these places were like during the conflict. At the same time, they reveal how the urban landscape changed. In this way, the tour combines history and the present-day city to uncover a Tortosa that is not always visible at first sight.

Step inside an air-raid shelter

One of the most distinctive parts of the experience is entering Air-Raid Shelter No. 4. Visiting this space offers a much more direct understanding of what the bombing raids meant for civilians. In fact, air-raid shelters became part of everyday life during the war.

The tour begins here, at the entrance to the shelter on Carrer Ernest Hemingway. Once inside, history becomes more than a sequence of dates and events. Instead, the story connects directly with the people who had to seek protection while the city was under attack.

For this reason, the shelter is one of the most evocative sites on the route and provides an insight into the human dimension of the conflict.

A city transformed by war

Leaving the shelter and continuing through Tortosa offers a different perspective on the city. Some of the neighbourhoods, buildings and infrastructure associated with those years have disappeared or been transformed. However, others remain part of the urban landscape, although their functions and meanings have changed.

The route helps you interpret these changes and discover how the war left its mark on the city. In addition, the itinerary reaches the area around the monument associated with the Battle of the Ebro. This provides an opportunity to explore how the conflict was remembered in later decades.

Furthermore, the experience is not limited to the events of the war itself. It also invites you to consider how Tortosa has preserved, transformed and interpreted its sites of memory over time.

Discover a different side of Tortosa

1936-1939. The Spanish Civil War in Tortosa is particularly suited to visitors interested in exploring the city’s modern history. Moreover, it takes you through the places associated with events that shaped Tortosa during those years.

Over approximately two and a half hours, the experience combines a guided walk through the city, historical interpretation and entry to the air-raid shelter. In this way, major events of the conflict are connected with the experiences of the people who lived through them.

Finally, rather than viewing individual monuments in isolation, this route invites you to read the city as a place of memory. It offers a different way to discover the stories that still lie behind the streets and squares of Tortosa.

Practical information

Guided tour calendar
Please check availability.

Prices
Adults: €12 per person
Children aged 12 to 14: €9 per person
Children under 12: free

What is included?
Guided tour of the outdoor sites along the route and entry to Air-Raid Shelter No. 4.