Route of La Jonquera bunkers. Route 16 Alt Empordà

The route of the bunkers wants to facilitate the understanding of the historical moment in which they were built.

We are situated in the final periods of the Civil War and World War II. The bunkers are connected vertically in the well-known Atlantic Line, and in the horizontal axis in the so-called Organización Defensiva del Pirineo or better known as P Line.

A notable characteristic of this line was not to face republican or French threats, but to protect "La Nueva España" from the Nazis with a mechanized army, therefore, Line P (Organización Defensiva de los Pirineos) was prepared to stop the passage of armored.

Bunkers, military constructions also called forts or fortified settlements, are architectural constructions built with different materials with a single objective: to entrench an army, both human assets and weapons assets, to improve its defense.

Their common characteristic is that they are camouflaged in the environment and integrated into the landscape. These concrete bunkers responded to new tactical needs, due in large part to the appearance of aviation and innovations in weapons.

The three nest-machine gun bunkers represent a defensive complement to the Agullana observatory (Can Palau bunker), built in 1940. The constructions were supervised from a single command within a specific area, to never lose contact with the sector command.

This defensive solution became a priority for General Franco with one mission: to avoid a military invasion through France, since he considered that this area was the weak point where the enemies could begin a hypothetical invasion of Spain.

The bunkers were built since 1943 by different battalions of Fortifications Regiment no. 3. Its difference from others of these characteristics lies in the fact that the interiors are better swirled and painted. They have long vaulted galleries and with a specific functional and strategic structure, such as the different internal protections against possible grenade attacks, the troop spaces, bedrooms, command rooms, weapon depots, ammunition stores, pantry, drains, latrines... As for the exteriors, they are very well camouflaged and adapted to the terrain. They generally go unnoticed, especially with the current situation in which forests have and intense undergrowth.

The Jonquera bunkers route begins at the AE20 Itinerànnia intersection located between Vinya d'en Laporta and Lluís Companys streets. Continuing along Vinya d'en Laporta street, we turn along Bosch de la Trinxeria street and arrive at Carrer Major, where we find the cultural center can Laporta and Center for Information and Interpretation of the National Interest Site of l'Albera. A few meters further on to the left, we find the Exile Memorial Museum (MUME), an interpretation center that remembers the exiles caused by the Civil War of Spain and Catalonia. The MUME combines museum functions, through permanent and temporary exhibitions, with those of historical research and educational dissemination. During the year they organize guided tours, some of them with the possibility of entering the bunkers.

We continue along Carrer Major and following the yellow marks, on Avinguda Miquel Martí i Pol, we will turn left and cross the bridge. Just at the end of the street there is an underpass, where we find the J7 junction, to reach the set of bunkers we go under the underpass and turn right. After a few meters we will find the first of the machine gun bunkers on the right, M21 CR10.

It is a machine gun nest bunker with an access and a machine gun mouth to cover the northeast direction on the left side of the N-II. It has a hallway and two rooms with funcitions as a weapons storage, pantry and personnel shelter functions on the ground floor. This bunker has two flights of stairs to access the upper level, first floor, where the machine gun mouth is located. It is made of reinforced concrete and has painted finishes: white walls and gray plinth.

If we continue to the left after a few meters, we will find the next one. M22 CR10 is a machine gun nest bunker with an access and a machine gun mouth to cover the north direction on the left side of the N-II. It has a hallway and two rooms, one large and one small, with functions as a weapons storage, pantry and personnel shelter.

Located inside a hill, access from the outside is  via perforation of hte terrain in the form of a corridor. It is made of reinforced concrete and with painted finishes, like the previous one, the white walls and the gray baseboard.

And following the marked path, to the right, at the first intersection J8, we find the path. At the end of this we see the M2 CR95 bunker, built in 1945 by the Spanish Army with underground access, with a metal jack ladder and a machine gun mouth, to cover the north direction, on the left side of the N-II. It has a hallway and a room to house the machine gun. It is made of reinforced concrete without painted finishes.The muzzle of the machine gun opens onto an olive grove.

The return to the start of the route is by the same path

ATTENTION:

Due to several acts of vandalism, access to the interior of the bunkers has been closed, so that only authorized personnel can access their interior.

On the last Sunday of each month, the MUME offers a guided tour of the bunker route with the possibility of seeing its interior, free of charge and with prior registration.