Today, it’s hard to imagine Madrid as a war zone. Or Spain as a military dictatorship. But lingering in the shadows of the Prado Museum, Puerta del Sol, the Templo de Debod, and other popular attractions in Madrid are the ghosts of a troubled past. Modern history still haunts Spanish society like the Dirty War stalks Argentina and The Troubles grip Northern Ireland. From 1936 to 1939, Madrid was the front line of the Spanish Civil War. And if you know where to look, you’ll find fascinating remnants of the conflict that served as a dress rehearsal for WW2. This article highlights some of the best Spanish Civil War sites in Madrid and vicinity.
It will help you see the Spanish capital in a whole new light and explain why the war still pits Spaniard against Spaniard. And if you’re willing to venture 45 minutes outside the capital, I found two spots worthy of attention— one controversial and the other chock full of abandoned civil war sites. (Be sure to see the photo gallery at the end of the article.)
The Spanish Civil War
Spain’s civil war began in 1936 when a conservative Nationalist alliance led by military officers tried to overthrow the elected, left-leaning Republican government. After three years of war, the Nationalists won and installed General Francisco Franco as dictator of Spain from 1939 until Franco’s death in 1975.
But the war was also a proxy for the larger, global contest between socialism and fascism. Consequently, the Soviet Union allied with the Republicans, while the Nationalists drew support from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. All three foreign powers sent equipment and personnel to Spain. And the toll on Madrid and other areas of the country was devastating.
The Pact of Forgetting (Pacto del Olvido)
The war tore Spain apart. And the 36-year dictatorship was repressive— often relying on illegal detention, forced labor, torture, and mass executions. After Franco’s death, there was a lot of healing to do.
To ease the transition from totalitarianism to democracy, Spanish political parties on the left and right agreed to the Pact of Forgetting, or Pacto del Olvido. It was a collective decision to set aside the past and focus on the future. No recriminations or blame. No prosecution of human rights abuses. Symbols of Franco and the dictatorship (partly) abandoned. Some called it a historical whitewash. Still, Spanish Civil War sites in Madrid— and the surrounding hills— remain.
Ongoing Controversy
But forgetting is easier said than done. Sectors of Spanish society later questioned the Pacto del Olvido and challenged the amnesty. They sought justice for the victims. Today, the families of missing persons want the bodies in mass graves exhumed and identified. And their efforts have met stiff resistance. The war and dictatorship remain highly controversial topics in Spanish society that many people would rather avoid.
Spanish Civil War Sites in Madrid
That explains why visitors find almost no official mention of the war, the dictatorship, and Spanish civil war sites in Madrid. But Franco’s Nationalist forces laid siege to the Spanish capital— held by Republicans— from October 1936 until it finally fell in March 1939. Intense fighting, heavy shelling, and aerial bombardment of civilian targets characterized the period. So it’s not surprising that we can still find evidence of the conflict.
Parque del Oeste
The Parque del Oeste— where the Temple of Debod is located— is one of the easiest places to find Spanish civil war sites in Madrid. Three concrete bunkers that housed machine guns stand on the north side of the park. They’re all that remains of 15 pillboxes built by Franco’s forces along the front line. Head to the nearby statue of Federico Rubio and note the bullet holes on the lower left and right, front pedestals. Don’t miss the rear of the monument— it’s pockmarked by hundreds of bullets.
Puerta del Sol
Puerta del Sol, the popular gathering point at the heart of the city, also holds a clue to the city’s violent past. Find the Casa de Correos building, which overlooks the square and serves as headquarters of the Community of Madrid. Note the bullet holes on the façade.
Guernica at the Queen Sofia Museum
Foreign powers used the Spanish civil war to experiment with new military tactics and equipment— especially aircraft. In April 1937, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy tested their new air forces by bombing the Basque town of Guernica. The 3-hour assault, requested by Franco, killed one-third of the civilian population.
Pablo Picasso’s famous mural, Guernica, depicts the destruction of its namesake. The painting is roughly 12 feet high by 25 feet wide and hangs at the Queen Sofia Museum (Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia) in Madrid.
Saving the Prado’s Masterpieces
Speaking of museums, the elected Spanish government— nearing defeat— took an extraordinary step in 1939. It signed an agreement entrusting nearly 600 works of art from the renowned Prado Museum (Museo del Prado) to an International Committee of the world’s most famous museums.
By then, Franco’s forces bombed the Prado repeatedly, and Republican volunteers began moving the collection elsewhere for safekeeping. At one point during the evacuations, Velázquez’ masterpiece Las Meninas (my favorite painting at the Prado) was abandoned temporarily on the streets of Madrid due to heavy fighting.
Spanish Civil War Sites Near Madrid
For an even better grasp of civil war history— and its controversial legacy— you’ll want to venture a short distance outside Madrid.
Valley of the Fallen (Valle de los Caídos)
Spain’s most controversial civil war site sits 30 miles northwest of the capital, near San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Originally designed to honor the Nationalist victory, the Valle de los Caídos is an enormous complex carved into a granite mountain and capped by the world’s largest memorial cross. It opened in 1959 after 18 years of construction involving 40,000 prison laborers. It houses a basilica, Benedictine abbey, and the remains of thousands of civil war casualties. (You can reach it easily by car using GPS, or book the tour with transportation included at the bottom of this article.)
Outrage Over the Valley of the Fallen
International pressure prompted Franco to reframe the monument as a place of “reconciliation” and “atonement” where the dead from both sides would be interred. To prove the point, he ordered thousands of Republican bodies to be exhumed from mass graves around the country and reburied at the monument. But he did it without informing the families of the deceased.
After Franco himself was buried at the site in 1975, the Valley of the Fallen became almost a shrine to the dictator and fascism. Many people found it unseemly. And survivors didn’t want their loved ones interred with the man responsible for their deaths. So families successfully petitioned for the transfer of Franco’s body to a cemetery in Madrid in 2019. (Learn more in the video below.)
Guadarrama Pass at Alto del Leon
But for a somewhat immersive, hands-on experience, grab your GPS and head 15 minutes further north to the restaurant called Asador Alto del Leon. Alternatively, you can take a taxi; buses and trains aren’t convenient in this instance. Start at the restaurant (there’s parking nearby) and walk across the main road to the clearing bordered by a wire fence. Pass through the opening and follow any path that keeps you out of the forest. You’ll soon spot several original bunkers from the civil war, designed to blend with the many boulders in the area. You can enter many of them and peer through the gun portals. Continue to the edge of the woods and look carefully— you’ll see the zig-zag formation of abandoned trenches.
Buried Surprise
Fighting in the vicinity was so intense that ammunition— spent and unspent— still litters the area. (A wildfire many years ago ignited some of it and forced firefighters to retreat.) While exploring the mountaintop, I met a teenager searching for relics with a metal detector— he excitedly told me the history of the place and gave me a bullet he dug up (pictured below).
Spanish Civil War – Lingering Controversy
The civil war remains a delicate topic for Spaniards. Franco still has supporters— I even saw magnets with his portrait for sale outside a bullring. And despite the Pacto del Olvido, symbols and namesakes of the regime are still visible throughout Spain— including the prominently featured Victory Arch and Monument to the Fallen of the Montaña Barracks.
Meanwhile, victims’ relatives still fight for political and judicial support to exhume their loved ones— from the Valley of the Fallen and elsewhere— and give them a proper burial. And Spain’s first national museum of the civil war is finally due to open in 2025, albeit in the isolated town of Teruel.
Eighty-five years after the war’s end and 50 years since Franco’s death, Spain still hasn’t healed from its fractured past. But after visiting these Spanish civil war sites in Madrid and vicinity, you’ll understand why.
