Civil War Shelter Museum

What It Is

Cartagena was a strategic point and one of the main targets of the bombings of the Civil War. This shelter, dug into the slope of the Concepción hill, tours some of its galleries with testimonies of those who took refuge there and explains how the city's defence was organised. It ends with an audiovisual with real images and sounds of the bombings, inside the shelter itself.

The History of the Shelter

The city stayed on the Republican side throughout the war: it manufactured war material, received Soviet aid and was the base of the Republican fleet. That is why the air raids began in October 1936 and became more and more frequent. The most devastating was the so-called "four-hour bombing", on 25 November 1936, carried out by the German Condor Legion.

From 1936, the Passive Defence Board, the trade unions and the neighbours promoted a network of galleries through the centre, the districts and the countryside. Those on Calle Gisbert began to be dug in 1937 under the Concepción hill, with financial help from the central government because the town council had no funds. They were designed for about 5,500 people, with 20 entrances and a first-aid room, but were never finished, and only part of the galleries can be visited. They were rehabilitated from 2001, along with the castle and the panoramic lift.

What You See Inside

The route explains the types of shelter and how they were built; daily life during the war, with photos, panels and re-creations about shortages, school between bombings and the little leisure there was; passive defence, with posters and objects on how the population was protected, and active defence, the DECA, which took charge of anti-aircraft artillery, alarms and observation. Then come the real images of destruction and, at the end, the audiovisual with original footage from several archives.

Hours, Price and Guided Visits

In November 2026, Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:30. Admission €4; reduced €3. It is on Calle Gisbert, beside the panoramic lift. The reduced rate applies to under-12s, students up to 25, pensioners, families with two adults and two children under 12 and groups of 20 or more; children under 3 enter free. The last entry is 15 minutes before closing. From 15 March to 1 November it opens from 10:00 to 19:00, and from 1 July to 15 September until 20:00.

With the ticket you can take a free half-hour guided visit, in Spanish only, at 11:00, 12:00 and in the afternoon at a time that changes with the season (in winter, at 16:00). The audioguide costs €2 and is in Spanish, English, French and Russian. Telephone: 968 50 00 93.

Accessibility and What to Combine

It has a lift, accessible toilets and the audiovisual is accessible for people with hearing impairment; guide dogs are admitted. The panoramic lift next door goes up to the Castillo de la Concepción, so the two visits link up effortlessly. The Roman Theatre Museum is also in the old town, a short walk away.