50. Passive defence in the Civil War: the air-raid shelter

50. Defensa passiva en la Guerra Civil: el refugi

Barcelona was hit by several air raids during the war, some aimed at specific targets while other indiscriminate attacks were designed to frighten and demoralise the population. As it was impossible to anticipate an air raid from the sea in good time, passive defence measures were put in place for identification, prevention and rescue of the public.

The passive defence boards oversaw the implementation of these measures including setting up early warning networks, deploying observation posts and sirens and most importantly providing or building areas to shelter the population