See the invisible fortress

During the Spanish Civil War, the coll de Balaguer, located in our municipality, was considered a strategic position for the Republican defence. A defensive system was built consisting of trenches, parapets, machine gun nests, powder magazines, shelters and other elements that, taking advantage of the natural features of the perimeter of the mountain pass, were adapted to the territory following the principles of dissemination and concealment of the fortifications.

In some cases, the fortifications were left unfinished and, in the end, were not used in the land attack, when Franco's military offensive on the front of the Battle of the Ebro took place. With the Republican defeat, they were deserted and forgotten. However, Franco's naval staff prepared an operation to land troops on the beaches of L'Hospitalet de l'Infant. The rapid outcome of the Catalan campaign meant that the operation was finally aborted when hundreds of infantry troops and a large group of boats were waiting for the order in Vinaròs and Sant Carles de la Ràpita.