Up at the Heighest Height: Barcelona’s Bunker del Carmel

Everyone has a ‘place’ in their city or local town. A place that they perhaps find fascinating, calming or once stumbled upon purely by accident, but a place nonetheless that they would make a point of showing a visitor for one reason or another. If it were me in Farnborough it would probably be the Wellington Statue, the old balloon hanger or the Abbey, not because I am particularly clued up on their history, but because they are a part of my town’s history.

Bunker del Carmel © Gillian Gryz

So when I was recently in Barcelona, the recommendation by some friends that we all go up to the bunkers because they offer a good view and have an interesting history, was an invitation hard to refuse. Our friends happened to be living in Barcelona at the time, and having come across this site, wanted to share it with us. So off we went up this pretty steep hill, knowing little other than that the site had been the location of anti-aircraft defences during the Spanish Civil War and had later become the site of what was described to us as a slum.

Bunker del Carmel © Gillian Gryz

As soon as we arrived at the top you could see why this site had been chosen for the anti-aircraft defences in 1937 – the views over Barcelona were breath-taking and I expect the feelings it evokes now somewhat contradict those felt back in the 1930s. My knowledge of the Spanish Civil War is pretty limited but I had remembered that it had seen the first use of aerial bombing purely targeted at civilian populations and sitting looking out over the city, that recollection prompted Goosebumps.

Bunker del Carmel © Gillian Gryz

There was more to be seen up there than I had anticipated – you can still see the circular concrete platforms where the guns would have been mounted, the bunkers themselves, as well as various lookout points. You can also see remnants of the domestic side of the site – the floor tiles and drainage systems of the former houses that had developed after the war owing to a housing shortage. 

Bunker del Carmel © Gillian Gryz

The site became the home of several families and remained in use until the 1990s, when development for the Barcelona Olympics saw them rehoused. It was a rather peculiar place to visit but a really fascinating one and I have to admit that it was one of the first things I looked up when I got back.

Bunker del Carmel © Gillian Gryz

Recent develop has seen the site taken over and publicised as a heritage site. New boards and information panels have been installed to reflect the history of the bunkers and as a site it now offers people a quiet-ish getaway from the bustling city below; a chance to take in some spectacular views and to contemplate a turbulent period in the city’s history.

This was definitely a case of Ispyhistory in action - Thanks Gill and Jimmy for taking us up there!

Museu d’Història de Catalunya, Barcelona.

Weekends away can be great way to dip into the history of different areas, whether that be somewhere on the south coast of England or Southern Europe. In this case a trip to Barcelona allowed for an interesting trip to the Museu d’Història de Catalunya and I have to admit to being really impressed with the quality of the museum.

Museu d’Història de Catalunya, Barcelona.

The museum itself is located in a former warehouse building near the Old Port (Port Vell) and offers a really fantastic museum space. The development actually strongly resembles the location of the Museum of London Docklands – a part of a former warehouse having been converted into a museum, while the rest offers a home to bustling restaurants and bars, overlooking ships swaying on the water. Anyway, I digress somewhat.  

Museu d’Història de Catalunya, Barcelona.

We chose to view the permanent exhibition galleries which cover the period of Prehistory to 1980. This is divided into several different subsections which aim to address key developments in Catalan history. These are: The Roots: From Prehistory to the 8^th Century, The Birth of a Nation: The 8^th to the 12^th Centuries, Our Sea: The 12^th to the 16^th Centuries, On the Edge of the Empire: the 16^th to 18^th centuries, A Steam-powered Nation: the 18^th and 19^th centuries, The Electric Years: From 1900 to 1939, Defeat and Recovery: From 1940 to 1980.

Museu d’Història de Catalunya, Barcelona.

It was certainly a mammoth exhibition in what it tried to cover but like I say, I was very impressed with the quality of what has been achieved. Intellectually what I really liked was how the museum didn’t just focus on Catalonia but tried to present Catalan history and culture within broader geographical, political, economic and cultural settings. This was something I remarked on at the time for it is not something I can say I’ve particularly noticed in other exhibitions I’ve been too. It made quite a refreshing change and I left feeling that I not only had a greater sense of Catalan history but also how it fits alongside the other existing knowledge I have of history. I was able to draw things together and make comparisons in ways that I have not necessarily recognised being able to do before. 

Museu d’Història de Catalunya, Barcelona.

You can also really tell that it is a new development by the approach that’s been taken, and the development of the museum over the last 10 years has been documented through video which is shown to visitors at the end of the exhibition. It displays a very modern approach to gallery design. There is a mix of glass faced cabinets containing artefacts with information panels, but also more interactive elements – models and recreations. A number of these in fact, still stand out. In particular a net which has been filled with armour and placed on a pulley system, which visitors can then attempt to lift in an effort to demonstrate how heavy it would have been to wear armour. There was also a knight’s horse that could be sat on, milling stones for grinding wheat and my personal favourite, a reconstruction of an irrigation system. Children are encouraged to take the place of oxen and turn a wheel, which then lifted water from a well into channels which in turn irrigated farm crops. It was such an inspired way to both educate and occupy children, while allowing adults the time to read the information, which in other museums can sometimes be a bit of a battle. 

Museu d’Història de Catalunya, Barcelona.

The museum’s mission statement is published on their website and is as follows:

The Museu d’Història de Catalunya (MHC) opened in 1996 to make Catalan history and culture better known at home and abroad. Publicly owned and inspired by the public interest, it is designed to be a museum of society insofar as it encourages interaction between history and the other social sciences and takes an interest in our own times. A cultural centre that is open and accessible to everyone with a programme that offers visitors opportunities for learning and training, for debate and analysis, for relaxation and enjoyment. (1)

It aims to be a space for ‘encounter and exchange’ and I definitely think that’s the case. The models show the practicalities of life at different periods in time, prompting questions that you pose not only to yourself but also to the other people you might be visiting with. And while it offers a huge historical range that some might find that overwhelming, I found it to be really intellectually stimulating. It offered something different, both in scope and design, and I’d definitely recommend it to those that visit Barcelona.

Museu d’Història de Catalunya, Barcelona.

(1) http://www.en.mhcat.cat/content/view/full/44