Palma air-raid shelters. Past and present
Activity aimed at educational centers
Level: 3rd and 4th Secondary, Bachillerato, University Education and Adult Education.
Days: 29 and 30 October, 12, 13, 26 and 27 November and 11 and 17 December at 10.00 am
Capacity: between 50 and 100 students (groups from different educational centers can share the activity).
Duration: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Information on 971908209
Reservations: Palma City Council’s “Palma Educa” programme
The proposed activity consists of an initial conference on the subject of Palma’s air-raid shelters, followed by a guided tour of the shelter inside Es Baluard Museu. The lecture is given to the whole group together and lasts approximately one hour. Afterwards, groups will take turns to visit the shelter in small groups of a maximum of 25 people per group.
During this visit, attendees will be able to observe the appearance and current state of conservation of the shelter, and get an idea of the sensations experienced inside by the people who had to protect themselves from the bombs there during the Civil War. The activity will make available a little-known aspect of the Civil War in Mallorca: the bombings of the republican aviation on the island and the construction of anti-aircraft shelters to protect the civilian population.
In addition to making the facts known, the activity also aims to facilitate the discovery of a hitherto forgotten underground heritage, which should form part of our city’s memory.
The activity is led by Bartomeu Fiol Coll (Palma, 1970), a telecommunications engineer and teacher of electricity. In parallel to his professional activity, he has researched the air-raid shelters of Palma for more than 25 years. In 2019 he published the book Els refugis antiaeris de Palma i la defensa passiva a Mallorca durant la Guerra Civil (1936-1939) [The anti-aircraft shelters of Palma and passive defense in Mallorca during the Civil War (1936-1939)] and in 2023 L’Atles dels Refugis Antiaeris de Palma [The Atlas of the Anti-Aircraft Shelters of Palma].
