Barcelona was the city most heavily bombed by Franco's air forces during the Spanish Civil War, and as a result developed around 1300 air-raid shelters. Dug under a fold of northern Montjuïc by local citizens from 1937 to 1939, the 307th refuge is one of the city's best-preserved shelters, with over 400m of tunnels. Compulsory tours run on Sunday only (reservations essential).
Over two years, the web of tunnels was slowly extended to 200m, with a theoretical capacity for 2000 people. Sleeping overnight in the shelter was not allowed – when raids were not being carried out work continued on its extension. Vaulted to displace the weight above the shelter to the clay brick walls (the porous clay allowed the bricks to absorb the shock waves of falling bombs without cracking), the tunnels were narrow and winding. Coated in lime to seal out humidity and whitewashed to relieve the sense of claustrophobia, they became a second home for many Poble Sec inhabitants – and today remain a testament to Barcelona's resilience.
When the civil war ended, Franco extended the refugi while considering entering WWII on Hitler’s side. When he decided not to join the war, many shelters including 307 were largely abandoned. In the tough years of famine and rationing during the 1940s and 1950s, families from Granada took up residence here.
