The Civil War in Vidreres: the airfield, the trenches of the Can Puig forest and the Can Batllosera bunker
In 1937, the airfield was built on the Vidreres plain, in the grounds of the Can Puig estate, which was demolished. Moreover, small streams were diverted, and fields and smallholdings near to the Can Puig forest were artificially flattened. The quantity surveyor Víctor Gasull oversaw the construction of the airfield, as well as the ones in Celrà and Puigcerdà. In 1938, this Republican airfield was bombed four times by the Nationalist air force. After that year, the airfield was no longer operative. Moreover, the air raids caused military, civil and material casualties and damaged a number of farmhouses.
The officials and sub-officials stationed at the airfield stayed at Can Xiberta, a house in Carrer d’Orient, while the command headquarters was set up at Can Batllosera and a bunker was built as a shelter. Built of concrete and with two entrances, most of the bunker is underground. After going in the door, a ramp leads down to the main room, which is about four metres below the surface, with a capacity of around 100 people.
In the Can Puig forest, there are a number of trenches also related to the airfield, in a practically square layout. They were used to store the airfield’s fuel and munitions.
All together, these are the most important remains of the Spanish Civil War in the county of La Selva.