Blockhaus-13 in Colmenar del Arroyo
A Cultural
Blockhaus-13
Blockhaus-13 is an imposing reinforced concrete fortification located about two kilometers northeast of the urban area of Colmenar de Arroyo, in the vicinity of km 33,670 of the M-510 road that connects Colmenar de Arroyo with the town of Navalagamella. It is about 50 km from Madrid capital. This structure constitutes the maximum expression of the military architecture of the Civil War of the Community of Madrid and has recently been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest. It consists of a main body of 10 meters in diameter from which you can access four other smaller nests, all of them with embrasures that allow it to control the entire surrounding terrain. The fort has about 160 m2 of plant and a height above ground of just over two meters. The conditioning and signaling works have been financed and supervised by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Community of Madrid.
Excerpt from the book: Book of the Regional Plan of Fortifications of the Civil War (1936-1939) of the Community of Madrid
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Blockhouse-13
The "Blockhaus 13" constitutes the highest expression of military architecture from the Civil War period (1936-1939) in the Community of Madrid. It is the only construction of this typology carried out and is one of the few examples for which there is concrete data on the context of its construction, from its approach to how and by whom it was built, the 2nd Company of the 7th Zapadores Battalion .
The town of Colmenar del Arroyo was occupied by the rebellious army in November 1936, becoming from that moment on an area of cantonment of troops at the service of the front line.
At the end of 1938, and fearing that a republican offensive could take place in this sector, among others, the national commanders ordered the creation of a network of defenses strategically located next to the communication channels that would allow to counter the danger using a reduced number of troops. For this, the construction of a series of concrete fortifications or “blockhouses” was ordered next to the main roads of the region.
The German term "blockhaus" was adopted during the First World War by the French to describe concrete constructions carried out following the stabilization of the western front.
The “Blockhaus 13” is included in the Plan of Fortifications of the Civil War of the Community of Madrid, which aims to revitalize the local heritage by proposing a common cultural project, based on the landscape and heritage pairing, from the location , cataloging, conservation and dissemination of the material remains of the war in the region.
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