Over its more than 500,000 km² area, Spain offers all types of vacation destinations for the millions of tourists who visit their lands every year. There are those who are always looking for sun and beach, while many others advocate the rest that mountain territories offer to those who dare to decipher them. However, beyond the places best known to the public, our country also hides some secrets only available to the most curious.
The abandoned towns of much of Spain are one of the mysteries that attract many tourists in recent years. Can you imagine walking through the streets of a town where no one has lived for more than 60 years? Well, it is a reality in many Spanish towns that, after the construction of the emblematic reservoirs During the Franco regime, they saw how their inhabitants left in search of a new life, leaving them at the mercy of the waters.
However, while many of these were submerged in the decade of the 50s and 60smany other towns were simply evicted after being declared as flood zones and they never flooded. This is the case of what, today, is considered the most beautiful abandoned town in Spain. But what is it, where is it located and how do you get to this dream place?
Extremadura has the most beautiful abandoned town in Spain: what is it and what to see
In Estremadura We can find, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful abandoned towns in Spain. It is about Passion fruita small municipality in the province of Cáceres, considered historical-artistic ensemblewhich has a beautiful architectural heritage and also has a good history behind it. Located in the vicinity of Gabriel y Galán reservoirmore than 70 years ago its inhabitants left the area after the construction of the reservoir.
The town, one of the most visited in our country, offers tourists who pass through there some of the most beautiful monuments in the province. Among them is its castle, which was built in the 15th century on the foundations of a old arab citadel and is made up of a central tower and four semicircular towers. It has a multi-lobed plan and four heights, to which is also added some dungeons and a cistern.
The other great attraction that Granadilla offers is its impressive wall, one of the best preserved in the country along with those of Lugo and Avilawhich surrounds the entire Extremaduran town. Built during Arab rule in the 9th century, the Muslim legacy of its walls is more than palpable. Devoid of towers, it is adorned with the cubic shaped battlements that characterize it as the defensive bastion it was more than 500 years ago.
Granadilla, one of the most beautiful abandoned towns in Spain, is located in Extremadura
Visitors also cannot miss the parish church of the Assumptionbuilt in the 16th century, which has become one of the most important buildings in the town. It is the only building in Granadilla that could not be expropriated in the face of the firm refusal of the bishop of Coria. Despite the deterioration it suffered after the town was abandoned, the temple maintains its main chapel and a three-sided apse.
The history of Granadilla: the origin of its name and why it is abandoned
Granadilla is a municipality that hides many secrets inside its walls. This old walled town of feudal origin It was founded in the 9th century, when Muslims settled in the area considering it a strategic bulwark both military and defensive for its conquests due to its location: it was a border with the kingdoms of Castile, León and Portugal. At that time, the town was not known by its current name, but as Grenade.
During the reconquest, under the mandate of King Ferdinand II of León, the Christians achieved beat the arabs that they populated it and settled in the village, repopulating it and providing it with the walls that characterize it. After the conquest of Granada in 1492 by the Catholic Monarchs, the name of the town was changedwhich was renamed Granadilla ─the name was not officially used in Council documents until the 19th century─.
Added to all this historical past that its walls accumulate is the eviction that the town suffered in the middle of the last century. It was on June 24, 1955 when the Council of Ministers of Francisco Franco decreed the expropriation of the municipal area of Granadilla following the construction of the Gabriel y Galán reservoir. Just five years later, the town became property of the State after the payment of the corresponding compensation and the inhabitants were informed that they could not claim any rights over them. Finally, in 1964, with the exponential growth of the swamp and the flooding of the Vega Baja lands and part of the roads, lThe last inhabitants left the town Finding themselves without a means of subsistence, they moved to Alagón del Río.
The situation changed after the Franco regime when, under the government of Adolfo Suárez, Granadilla was declared historical-artistic complex in 1980. It was then that the restoration of the town began, whose monuments, such as its majestic castle or its walls, were in poor condition due to the passage of time and the rains. Likewise, in 1984, the town was included in the Interministerial Program for Abandoned Townsthus promoting the recovery of the municipality until it became a focus of tourist interest in recent years.
Schedules and how to get to Granadilla, the most beautiful abandoned town in Spain
The old feudal town of Granadilla is located in the province of Cáceres, just only 1 hour and 20 minutes from the capital of the province. As they explain on their website, you arrive “through the La Plata Highway E-803 that connects Cáceres with Salamanca» and, from there, «you have to take exit 442 towards Zarza de Granadilla». Once in the town, take the detour until you reach Granadilla, where there is free parking for all travelers.
However, those interested in making this trip should keep in mind that, although access to the town is completely free, there are some measures regarding access and departure times. This regulation was imposed some time ago to guarantee the integrity of such a historic site and ensure that travelers can enjoy a safe visit to this town in Extremadura.
According to what is stated on the website, Granadilla can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday (it is closed on Mondays) and visiting hours may vary depending on the time of year in which we are. From April to October, the doors of 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.while from November to March, they will do so 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m..
Visiting Granadilla also warns of other rules that must be followed when traveling to the Extremaduran municipality. Specifically, they explain that the entry of pets is allowed, but must be tied to animals. Those areas in the process of construction should be avoided, so they ask that the security fences placed by the town not be crossed. Likewise, they explain, access to homes is prohibited of the town, which are for the exclusive use of the educational program.
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