English
Route 1 — Beneath the streets of Alicante: from the Engine House to the historic center shelters
Between 1936 and 1939 in Alicante, whenever the sirens sounded, thousands of local residents left their homes and workplaces to go underground. This route takes you along that exact same path: from the space where what happened is put into context, to the underground galleries where people waited for the danger to pass.
The starting point of the route is the Civil War Interpretation Center, located in the historic facilities of the old Engine House (Casa de Máquinas), on Portugal Street, next to Plaza de Séneca.
Through photographs, scale models, posters, and period materials, this museum space takes a journey into the past to uncover the crucial role of the air raid shelters and daily life in the city during the toughest years of the conflict. Its rooms also feature audiovisuals and recreated elements that offer a first-hand understanding of what it meant for Alicante to be a rear-guard city.
Just 75 meters from the Interpretation Center, we will step inside the R31 Plaza de Séneca shelter, one of the best-preserved air raid shelters in Alicante. Numerous shelters came to light after years of oblivion following urban remodeling projects, and were documented thanks to the Passive Defense archives at the Municipal Archive of Alicante, alongside the work of the Memory Department and the Culture Department of the Alicante City Council.
The tour concludes at the R46 Plaza Doctor Balmis shelter, located about 400 meters from the previous shelter. The Dr. Balmis Square shelter covers a quadrangular floor plan of around 198 m², set right in Alicante's traditional city center, barely 200 meters from the port area.
Access to R46 involves stairs. It is not accessible for people with reduced mobility.
