Centre d’Interpretació del Camp d’Aviació de Celrà 1936-1939

About the museum

The airfield of Celrà began to be built at the end of 1936 on farmland belonging to the municipalities of Celrà and Bordils, covering some 1.26 million square metres. It was operational from the first quarter of 1937 until February 1939. At first it kept watch over the Girona coast and the Colera railway bridge; later it became the main base in Catalonia for the Tupolev SB-2 bombers, known as the “Katiuskas”.

As a complement, an aircraft assembly workshop, the SAF 23, was set up in the town, spread across three premises in the village, and the airfield also served as a training and distribution centre for pilots. It was an important military target and suffered ten bombing raids by the Francoist side. After the war, in November 1940, the land was returned to its former owners and went back to agricultural use.

The interpretation centre is located within the modernist industrial complex of the Fàbrica de Celrà. With panels, photographs and documents, it traces the stages of the airfield, from its construction to the return of the land, and displays a small collection of objects related to the aerodrome and the Civil War. An audiovisual presents the testimony of residents of Celrà who lived through the bombings.

The site forms part of the Red de Espacios de Memoria de Cataluña (Catalonia Memory Sites Network) of the Memorial Democràtic and was created in collaboration with the Taller d’Història de Celrà and local historian Artemi Rossell. Two shelters and the airfield’s powder magazine survive and can be visited on a route signposted by the town council.

Highlights

• History of the Republican airfield of Celrà and its bombings
• Base of the Tupolev SB-2 bombers (“Katiuskas”)
• Audiovisual with testimonies from residents of Celrà
• Two shelters and the airfield’s powder magazine, visitable on a route
• Housed in the modernist building of the Fàbrica

Permanent exhibition

• Exposición permanente sobre el campo de aviación de Celrà – Panels, photographs, documents and a small collection of objects on the Republican airfield, with an audiovisual of testimonies from residents of Celrà.

Operated by

Ajuntament de Celrà

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Getting there & parking

The centre is in the Centre Cultural la Fàbrica (former Fàbrica Pagans), Carretera de Juià, 48.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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