Almedíxer is located in the heart of the Sierra de Espadán and was occupied by the Republican army under the command of General Leopoldo Menéndez. The XYZ line (or Matallana line) crossed it, and several historical vestiges remain of it. This XYZ line was made up of a network of trenches and shelters dug to take advantage of the rough terrain of the hills located to the north and northeast of Valencia, which made it difficult to destroy them only by means of air attacks. Given the danger of bombers, frequent during the time of the confrontation between the two armies around the XYZ line, shelters were built where the inhabitants of Almedíjar could hide from the presence of the "Pava", the sound of which alerted the population and preceded the dropping of bombs. The "Pava" was the name by which the Heinkel He 46 combat aircraft, a German monoplane that participated in the bombings carried out during the Civil War, was popularly known.
Today, a large part of the defensive constructions of the Civil War, such as parapets or observation points, are preserved. Among these, the shelters of Castillet, Mosquera and Canyar stand out.
This last shelter has the typical structure of this type of war construction, since it had three entrances, a corridor that connected them and a rectangular room where people sat down to wait for the bombing to end. Currently, only one entrance and the room where people waited for the bombing to end are preserved.
Translated by Google •
In the know? Log-in to add a tip for other adventurers!