Campo de concentración de los Merinales

Campo de concentración de los Merinales, in Dos Hermanas near Seville, is a historical memorial site marking a forced-labour camp that operated under the Franco dictatorship.

What was the Los Merinales camp?

Los Merinales was part of the Militarised Penitentiary Colonies Service, a system set up by the Franco regime after the Spanish Civil War to put political prisoners to work on major public infrastructure projects. It became one of the most significant and longest-running camps of its kind in the region, holding an estimated 10,000 prisoners over the years it was in operation.

What were prisoners forced to do?

The camp's main purpose was supplying labour for the construction of the Lower Guadalquivir Canal, popularly known as the "Prisoners' Canal" (Canal de los Presos) — a roughly 150-kilometre waterway. The project drained marshy lowlands along the river and brought irrigation to around 80,000 hectares of farmland. Conditions were harsh, reflecting the punitive forced-labour system that defined Spain's post-war prison network.

What can visitors see today?

On 17 June 2009, a monument was unveiled at the site of the camp's former main entrance, dedicated to the memory of those imprisoned there. The land is now managed by the Los Merinales foundation, which has plans to build a centre honouring the victims connected to the canal's construction. In recent years, archaeologists from the Heritage Science Institute (INCIPIT) of Spain's national research council (CSIC), working with the University of Barcelona, have carried out fieldwork documenting the remaining traces of the camp's infrastructure.

How do you get to Los Merinales?

The memorial site lies in farmland south of the centre of Dos Hermanas, a town a short distance from Seville. Driving is the most practical option, since the site sits within the agricultural landscape of the Guadalquivir valley — a GPS route is recommended. Travellers without a car can reach Dos Hermanas by bus or train and continue by local transport or taxi.

When is the best time to visit?

Because the memorial stands in an open outdoor setting, spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons, avoiding the intense heat of an Andalusian summer. It's worth setting aside a quiet moment here — this is a site of historical reflection rather than a conventional sightseeing stop.

Who is this site for?

Los Merinales will interest travellers following Spain's historical memory routes tied to the Civil War and the Franco era, as well as anyone wanting a deeper understanding of the Seville region beyond its well-known monuments. It's an educational stop, and visitors will get more out of it with some background reading on Spain's forced-labour camp system beforehand.

Frequently asked questions

When was the Los Merinales camp active? It operated during the Franco dictatorship, through the 1940s and into the following decades, as part of the penitentiary colony system that used prisoner labour for public works.

Who were the prisoners held there? Mostly political prisoners sentenced after the Civil War, forced to work on large-scale infrastructure projects, chiefly the irrigation canal.

What exactly did the prisoners build? The Lower Guadalquivir Canal, known as the Prisoners' Canal — an approximately 150-kilometre waterway that brought irrigation to tens of thousands of hectares in the river valley.

Can the site be visited today? Yes. A memorial monument unveiled in 2009 stands at the former camp entrance, and the site is open to visitors as a place of historical memory, with plans underway for an educational centre.