Pyramid of Puerto del Escudo, Memorial pyramid in Valle de Valdebezana, Spain
The Pyramid of Puerto del Escudo is a twenty-meter-tall structure made from limestone and cement that stands on a mountain pass between Castilla y León and Cantabria. The north and south sides display a stepped profile while the east and west sides run smooth, giving the building a sharp silhouette.
The structure was completed on August 26, 1939, to commemorate Italian soldiers who fell during the Battle of Escudo in the Spanish Civil War. Construction took place immediately after the war ended and marks the spot where fighting occurred in the mountains.
A small circular chapel fills the interior space with a flat domed ceiling lined with iron grilles and niches. The niches preserve the names and last addresses of those men who fell in the mountain battle and still rest here today.
Visitors reach the structure via National Road 623, which runs through the Puerto del Escudo mountain pass and connects Castilla y León with Cantabria. Access is possible year-round, though snow sometimes appears on the pass road during winter.
Below the main room sits a crypt accessible only by ladder that houses officers who died during the fighting. Wrought iron grilles with geometric patterns close off this deeper section and create an additional layer to the memorial.
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