Rosanes – a military airfield during the Spanish Civil War

Posted on 23/08/2012 by Michael

Rosanes airfield, La Garriga, Catalonia

Rosanes – a military airfield during the Spanish Civil War

Memorial Democratic, a programme to spread information about the history of the Spanish Civil War, tells the story of the small Republican airfield of Rosanes, just outside La Garriga in the hills just to the north of Barcelona, Catalonia.

I’ve said that it’s possible to walk in this part of Catalonia during the month of August but I would still not recommend doing what I did a few days ago which was to visit the site of one of the Republican airfields during the Spanish Civil War at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Being now farm land there is absolutely no respite from the sun as Catalonia, as well as much of the rest of Spain, is going through a heat wave.

But for anyone interested in that defining period of European history a visit is worthwhile.

Rosanes is the name of a large farm a couple of kilometres to the south of La Garriga, a town which grew up at the end of the 19^th and the beginning of the 20^th centuries as a favoured place for the Barcelona rich to escape the extreme heat of the Mediterranean summer.

There’s not a great deal left of the complex that existed for a short, but intense, period during 1937-38 but there’s enough to get a feel for what it was like when the Republican air force tried to stand up against the might of the German Luftwaffe and the Italian Regia Aeronautica. But this quiet place, now returned to use as farm land and a small golf course, played a significant part in some of the campaigns of the Civil War as well as playing its part in the defence of Barcelona, only just over 30 kilometres away.

The reason for the airfield being there was really one of chance. A rich Argentinian businessman, with a passion for flying, constructed a landing strip, together with a hangar, a control tower and a house which were all requisitioned by the Republic when hostilities began.

As the place developed from a private civilian airfield to a military centre all the operational and accommodation facilities were spread over a large area to avoid concentration of resources in a small place which would have had disastrous consequences if there had been a lucky strike by the fascist bombers. All its working life the airfield was under threat of aerial bombardment and three, out of a total of 7, of the still existing structures are air raid shelters.

At two locations in the area there are information points which provide a fairly comprehensive introduction to the activities that took place in those years. With sketches etched into stainless steel any visitor can come away knowing a lot more about what the place looked like and how the airfield functioned as an efficient war machine.

This includes a description of the aircraft that the Republicans used at Rosanes. These were all Polikarpov aircraft provided by the Soviet Union, the most famous of these being the Natasha, a light bomber and the plane around which the aerodrome was built. It was after this squadron was virtually wiped out on returning from a raid on the 24^th December 1938, due to a mistake and consequent lack of fighter support, that Rosanes began to lose its importance.

The information boards also give an indication of the position of Rosanes in the evolution of the Republican defensive front. Much of what the Republican forces built was in response to a concerted attack that had been planned over many months. What has to be remembered is that it was the fascists who were the rebels, rising up against the legitimate government of the Second Republic, who had planned their attack with the overwhelming support of the war machines of Germany and Italy. Taking into account this imbalance of forces it’s surprising that Spain was able to hold out for three years. Poland and France didn’t last a fraction of that time.

The three principal buildings of the pre-war complex still exist but can only normally be seen from afar, as they are now back in private hands. These are the buildings constructed for the Argentinian businessman and are the hangar, the control tower and the house built close by which became a command centre.

The other remaining structures are the air raid shelters. The two smaller ones have gates across the entrances but a little bit of limbo dancing will mean that you can get a view of the interior and this is useful to get an idea of how small they were but still providing the necessary protection against attack.

The third shelter, by far the largest as it was constructed close to the biggest concentration of personnel, can only be seen on one of the organised visits. This is next to Can Sorgues, where there are also the remains of the camp dinning room as well as a sentry box, looking in a very good condition for something that is supposed to be from the 1930s.

But apart from the structures that can be seen/visited perhaps the main thing to be gained from a visit to Rosanes is the realisation of how small things were in those days, how makeshift war was in the mid 1930s and how hit and miss the whole matter of warfare was at that time. Matters moved drastically during the ‘big’ war of 1939-45 (in which Spain did not take part) and so different from the high-tech warfare of today in Iraq, Afghanistan and …. Iran?

A guided tour of Rosanes takes place the second Sunday of every month, meeting at the Rosanes farmhouse at 11.00. In July and August, when it’s much hotter, the visit takes place at 18.00, the one in August being on bicycles. It costs €5. For more information call 93 113 70 31, or email info@visitlagarriga.cat. For some pictures of the time go to www.aviacioiguerra.cat, although this is only in Catalan.

Rosanes Airfield 01

Rosanes Airfield 02

Rosanes Airfield Information Leaflet in pdf format

For more information on Memoria Democratic see:

The air raid shelter of Placeta Macià, Sant Adrià de Besòs

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‘Privatisation’ of Parc Guell?

Posted on 19/08/2012 by Michael

Information Board Parc Guell

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‘Privatisation’ of Parc Guell?

The Barcelona municipal council are considering charging admission for entry into Parc Guell, one of Antonio Gaudi´s gems, in order to get more money from visiting tourists, without improving access or services. This is opposed both by tourists and the local residents.

Parc Guell, to the north of Barcelona, is the green area which offers one of the iconic panoramic views of the city below as well as being the place to see some of Antonio Guadi’s unique designs. If you haven’t yet been able to visit the park then you´d better do so soon if you don’t want to pay.

‘There’s money in them there hills’, according to the municipal government, now in the hands of the CiU party, the right-wing Catalan nationalist party. Every day thousands of tourists visit the park, most seemingly wanting to have their picture taken beside the dragon – which has become the symbol for the park itself. It pains the local grandees that so much money is virtually flowing out of the open gates.

So many people want to visit the area so why not charge them?

Many of the residents around the park are against this virtual privatisation as it would affect them directly and they are also angry that an increasing amount of the park has been paved over, presumably because that makes it cheaper to maintain.

As far as I can remember the park was accessible at all times but when I visited yesterday (the first time for more than 10 years) I was surprised at the substantial gates that prevent access after sunset. This restriction on access would have been instituted by the previous ‘socialist’ local government – who had had control of Barcelona City Council continuously since the death of Franco in 1975 – so a change of government would not necessarily mean a change of policy, if payment is introduced in the near future.

Especially in the peak summer months of July and August Barcelona is teeming with tourists and, as in so many other cities throughout the world, tourism is vital to the local economy. But as is becoming increasingly the case elsewhere, instead of being open and welcoming to visitors the main emphasis seems to be on how to milk them even more.

So far this policy has not had an adverse effect on tourism where surcharges have been introduced already for the mere temerity to want to visit the place, as has happened in Venice. Perhaps people will be prepared to pay ever more to see these places, perhaps not. But it is sad to read, yet again, that politicians consider that almost everything has a price. Don’t be too concerned about the pickpockets operating on the Rambla, it’s the bandits in the town hall who are after every cent you have.

It’s good that the local residents are against charging for entry to Parc Guell. However, one of the lines in their little poster to be seen in the vicinity of the park I find disconcerting. They talk about the ‘poor management of the affluence of visitors’. Does this mean that they don’t care where the tourists are fleeced as long as it doesn’t directly involve them?

March 2014 Update.

It was with a great deal of annoyance that I received the news that you now have to pay for entrance into the park. It was on the day before leaving Barcelona that I was told by Catalan friends that payment was now required to visit the Gaudï structures part of the park, the green space that is the majority of the area is still free to enter.

So the struggle against the privatisation of yet another public area has been lost. I know that the local people were against it but the state, whether local or national, and the greedy and avaricious will never give up until they lose their influence and power. They will always grind us down by their sheer determination to win – we, all too often, give in.

Not having visited Barcelona for more than I year I had missed out on the arguments. I’m sure I’d read that Güell himself had left the park to the people of Barcelona but by maintaining that the green spaces are still freely accessible and by employing a high-flying and expensive lawyer, together with a right-wing administration and judges with fingers in many lucrative pies the privateers have been able to get around whatever he might have desired a hundred years ago .

Not only do you now have to pay there is also a limit of 800 people visiting a day and if you arrive too late you might have a long wait.

Opening times:

25^th October – 23^rd March 08.30 – 18.00

24^th March – 24^th October 08.00 – 21.30

Entrance Fees:

Adults €8.00

Child (7 – 12)/Over 65/Disabled €5.60 – Under 7 free

Tickets can be bought at the ticket vending machines at Lesseps and Vallcarca Metro stations and at various ATMs close to the park, or at the park entrance itself.

7^th March 2014

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Montseny Natural Park and the Congost Valley

Posted on 14/08/2012 by Michael

Montseny and Congost, Catalonia

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Montseny Natural Park and the Congost Valley

The Montseny Natural Park, just to the north of Barcelona in Catalonia, contains a wide variety of flora and fauna and offers many opportunities for the walker. On its western edge is the Congost Valley, historically one of the escape routes for those fleeing the Fascists towards the end of the Spanish Civil War.

Have been able to do a couple of walks during my 6 or so days here so far. More getting back into the habit of walking and enjoying the heat, the sight of the sun (can those in Britain remember what it looks like?) and the blue skies than exploring new areas. Just after I arrived a heat wave was predicted for virtually the whole of the Spanish peninsula and although it’s been hot here the temperatures are not as extreme as in some other parts, due to being a bit further north and also inland amongst the hills.

But it has been extremely dry here over the last couple of months (following an unusually cold winter spell) and it has got to the extent that announcements are being made on the trains imploring passengers to be extra careful in avoiding any potential forest fires. So far Catalonia has been spared any of these during the present period of high alert. A wind that tends to come down from the Pyrenees in the afternoon can be physically pleasant but brings with it the danger of fanning any fires that do start. This is the Traumontana (in Catalan) which ceases to become a relief from the heat and becomes a real threat to the hills and the communities that exist in the region.

Although not many people do so I think it is still possible to walk in this part of Spain during August. Yes it’s hot, but an extremely early start can mitigate that problem (I started far too late on my first excursion) and the worse that can mean is you are in the bar by early afternoon.

If you don’t know this part of Catalonia I think it will come as a pleasant surprise that you are actually able to walk in the hills. Looking at them from the road or the train the hills in the Congost valley look almost impenetrable, a mass of pines and oaks with no way through. This is even the impression if you are looking across from one side of the valley to the other. However, once you get away from the main roads and explore this area you’ll find there are a myriad of tracks, too many tracks, too many junctions and too many ways to go wrong if you are not familiar with the area.

I have the good fortunate of being able to remember (not always, but more often than not) where I have been and my experience on my first couple of excursions was one of recognising familiar landmarks. But this is such a rolling landscape that at one moment you might be looking down on to a largish town, the next you are walking along a small valley where you have lost all perspective. And that’s one of the things that makes this area a joy to explore. Within a relatively short distance from civilisation you can appear to be in the middle of nowhere. Then, perhaps a relief, perhaps a shock, you turn a corner and you are assaulted by the noise of the traffic along a major highway from Barcelona to the French border.

One of the advantages of the heat is that it brings out the smells of the plants and that attracts the insects. In one five-minute section of my couple of walks I’ve seen more butterflies than I’ve seen all summer in Britain. Although I’ve been walking in the Mediterranean for many years I’ve still to remember all the names of the different plants. But as you walk along you get wafted by the smell of the fig. Rosemary and different varieties of sages are ubiquitous, along both sides of many of the wider tracks. As the day develops and temperatures rise this all compensates for the heat that bounces back at you from the road.

I said a myriad of tracks and with that comes a myriad of signs. Useful at times but at others confusing. It’s all to do with a way of thinking but I still find it difficult to arrive at a junction and find a sign indicating the place I’ve just passed being shown in the completely opposite direction. It makes sense in that there is a circular route but disconcerting nonetheless.

And one thing I learnt on my first outing with my new GPS toy is that technology means nothing if you don’t know how to use it properly. Perhaps it’s good I know much of this area quite well and don’t depend upon some US military controlled satellite to find my route. The maps available for this area are becoming increasing more reliable (since the army maps of the Franco era have been steadily replaced by those that seek to inform rather than confuse) and are probably more useful when you arrive at a junction with 3 routes all pointing in, more or less, the same direction.

Am recording the routes as I go along and am thinking about putting them on the blog. One of the issues I have to deal with is the dependence upon local transport to get to the beginning and/or end of a walk. That works to a point but in some of these hills there are virtually no settlements of any kind (other than an isolated monastery now converted into a big private estate) and have had to make recourse to the thumb on one occasion already. But with a certain amount of planning it is possible for someone to get into these hills. And as many people who go to the coast for their holidays rent a car this makes this area even that more accessible.

Have attached a slideshow to the end of this post to give a bit of an idea of the terrain and what it contains. As I said in my welcome this area is rich in history and culture and much of this can be experienced by walks into the countryside. Summer is always a bad time for long distance landscape pictures as there is an almost permanent haze, but hope you can get some idea of the area.

Now off to get away from the computer and have a few pints in one of the cheapest places I have found in the area for a beer (some of the places I’ve been to over the last few days are definitely into the idea of fleecing the tourist/foreigner – something which always annoys).

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