Introduction to the Sant Andreu Barracks
If you walk along Passeig de Torras i Bages, in the Sant Andreu neighborhood of Barcelona, you cannot help but notice the large and imposing structure on the right-hand side. This is the Sant Andreu Barracks, a former military facility now a museum.
Passeig de Torras i Bages was the headquarters for almost 70 years of the Sant Andreu artillery barracks, essential for republican weapons during the Civil War.
The role of the Barracks during the Spanish Civil War
The Sant Andreu Barracks was a place of military importance during the Spanish Civil War and has a long and complex history that is worth exploring.
Situated on Paseig de Torres i Bages, the artillery barracks inaugurated in 1929 joined the military uprising of July 18, 1936. Around the Sant Andreu barracks, the Falangist soldiers and volunteers entrenched themselves to protect the great number of weapons that were stored there. On the 19th, the Republicans bombarded the barracks from planes that they had caught in El Prat. The militiamen managed to drive the rebels back to the interior of the barracks. General Legorburu encouraged the volunteers to flee the barracks. On the 20th, the militiamen managed to storm the barracks and took the 30,000 rifles that were inside.
At the end of 1936, in the barracks, the Republican side built war materials. After the war, the barracks were used as a prison and detention center by the Franco regime. The Sant Andreu barracks, dependent on the Ministry of Defense, ceased to be operational in 1998 and were demolished in 2004.
Today, the building has been renovated and turned into a cultural center. If you are interested in the history of the Spanish Civil War, the Cuartel de Sant Andreu is a place worth visiting.
What can you see today at the Barracks?
Today, if you go to the Sant Andreu barracks, you will be able to see the architectural remains that still remain. The original structure with a rectangular floor plan, a central patio, and the annex buildings that housed, among others, the warehouses for weapons.
You will also be able to see the walls built during the Second Republic and the Artillery Battery on Passeig de Torras i Bages. These areas are open to the public and have been restored to preserve the historical memory of this important place.
Likewise, there are information panels about the event and dedicated exhibitions to better understand the military contribution of the militiamen on the day of the military uprising of July 18, 1936.