During the Spanish Civil War, the Coll de Balaguer pass, located in our district, was considered a strategic vantage point for the Republican defence. A defence system was built here, made of trenches, parapets, machine gun shelters, powder magazines, shelters and other elements that were adapted to the landforms following the principles of fortification dissemination and occultation, taking advantage of the mountain pass’s perimeter.

These fortifications remained, in some areas, incomplete and, finally, they were never used for land-based attacks, because Franco’s military offensive was undertaken via the Battle of Ebro. After the Republicans’ defeat, these constructions remained abandoned.
Nowadays, a great job is being performed in terms of recovering and interpreting the Coll de Balaguer Civil War protection fortifications. For this summer, the town hall is planning to arrange guided tours with the purpose of increasing the awareness of this monument.
More information: www.culturaalabast.cat and www.fortalesainvisible.org