Valls Anti-aircraft Shelter

Everything you can do at the Valls Anti-aircraft Shelter

Did you know that 8 metres below Plaça del Blat lies one of Catalonia's most unique heritage sites? The Valls anti-aircraft shelter was built in 1938 in response to the danger of being bombed during the Civil War, designed by municipal architect Josep M. Vives Castellet. Today it is much more than a monument: it is a living space full of activities for all kinds of visitors.

What exactly is the shelter?

It is an underground gallery-type shelter, brick-lined, about 8 metres deep, with galleries 1.80 metres high and 1.60 metres wide. Curiously, although it was built, it was never actually used. During the 1960s it became a rubble dump. Today the visitable area covers about 55 metres of route.

Access is through Ca Segarra, from the basement of the building that houses the Sala Gòtica, a museum space that contextualises the history of Valls between 1931 and 1979.

Activities you can do

1. Guided tour "Espai amagat sota terra"

During the guided tour, you can visit the Sala Gòtica of Ca Segarra and the Air-raid Shelter of Plaça del Blat, recovered as a museum space to share the history of Valls from 1931 to 1979. You go down as far as eight metres underground — an experience that leaves no one indifferent.

• Organised by: Valls Tourist Office
• Price: €2 per person

2. Night visit to the shelter

The shelter in Plaça del Blat is one of the places of memory that make the marks of our recent past visible. Experiencing it in complete darkness is a completely different and much more powerful experience. The visit brings to life the episode of the Civil War and how it was experienced in Valls.

• Registration: Valls Tourist Office

3. Escape Room: "Defuse the bomb"

The mission is clear: you have one hour to defuse the hidden explosive before the structure blows apart. Participants travel through the 55 metres of underground gallery and must work as a team to solve all the mysteries before the clock stops.

• Price: €6 per person
• Duration: 1 hour

4. Family visit

These routes are ideal for introducing children to our history and for remembering a past we must not forget. A very effective way to bring historical memory to children in an immersive and emotional way.

5. Democratic Memory Route

The Memory Space of Ca Segarra is the starting point for visiting other places related to the historical memory of Valls: the blood hospital, the cemetery or the airfield. The shelter is the core of a broader route that helps explain Valls during the Civil War and Francoism.

Practical information

• Location: Plaça del Blat, Valls (access via Ca Segarra)
• Guided tour price: €2 per person
• Bookings: Valls Tourist Office
• Languages: Catalan and Spanish

For special activities such as the escape room or night visits, check availability and dates at the Tourist Office or on the Valls City Council website.

To finish

The Valls Anti-aircraft Shelter is not just a museum. It is a place that literally puts you under the skin of the Civil War, 8 metres underground, in galleries that were built by the hands of the people of Valls themselves. Whether you come with children, as a couple, with friends or with a school group, you will find an activity tailored to you. Valls hides far more than meets the eye.