Tourists are increasingly turning their attention to Europe’s large collection of ghost towns as they seek out new, exciting experiences. These abandoned settlements are the remains of a time long past and forgotten by most, yet eerily preserved by the elements.
The aesthetic appeal of decay, combined with a sense of entering a forgotten world, attracts visitors to these once-thriving communities. The deserted villages and towns, in many cases, provide a fascinating window into Europe’s colourful but often troubled past. One such place is Belchite, perhaps one of the most well-known ghost towns in Spain.
Located 25 miles south of Zaragoza in the Aragon region of Spain, its ruins have been frozen in time for over 80 years and stand as a stark reminder of the country’s brutal civil war in the 1930s.
The town was besieged and destroyed, and its decimated population was moved to a new village built adjacent to the ruins.
Belchite was a historic town with unique architecture featuring synagogues and homes in Renaissance, Baroque and vernacular styles.
It was particularly rich in Mudéjar architecture, a style that resulted from centuries of intercultural exchange.
Authorities decided to leave the ruins untouched as an everlasting memorial to the civil war and today tourists can still explore the abandoned site.
One of the highlights is the Church of San Martín de Tours, built in the first half of the C14th in the Gothic-Mudejar style.
The Mudejar style can be seen in its polygonal apse and in the Almohad minaret tower.
Inscribed on the door of the church are the verses of a famous song written by one of the last residents of the town – Natalio Baquero.
“Pueblo Viejo de Belchite/ Ya no te rondan zagales/ Ya no se oirán las jotas/ Que cantaban nuestros padres”.
(Old Town of Belchite/ The lads no longer haunt you/ The jotas that our fathers sang will no longer be heard).
Another is the Church and Convent of San Agustín, which belonged to the order of the Augustinian Hermits.
They settled in Belchite at the end of the C16th and remained there until the C19th.
The church represents a combination of the Baroque and neoclassical styles and like many of the other buildings in the town was made from brick.
Finally, visitors should be sure to visit the remains of the Church of San Juan, located in what used to be the centre of the town.
A clock tower was built alongside the church, and is today the only part of the complex that still remains standing.
It was built between the C14th and C15th in the famous Mudejar style.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
