A stunning Spanish town that 1,000 residents once called home was completely abandoned and left to rot more than five decades ago – all because of a flood that never even happened
A tiny but beautiful town looking out onto emerald waters used to home 1,000 residents has been slowly rotting away for more than five decades.
Boasting rows of colourful houses, a 15th century castle, and wrap-around fortress walls that still stand strong, Granadilla looks like something straight out of a travel brochure. But, if you take a closer look, you’ll realise it’s missing one important feature: people.
Founded in the 9th Century, the town (which is located in Spain’s western Extremadura community) was a strategic region for trade and travel. However, in the 1950s dictator Francisco Franco unveiled his ambitious plans to boost the country’s economy by constructing a series of huge dams – the largest of which was the Gabriel y Galán reservoir, which surrounded Granadilla.
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Over the following decade, the politician forcibly demanded every single resident move out of the town, many of which chose to settle in nearby villages – hopeful that they could one day return. The eviction was blamed on rising water levels, which threatened to flood the peninsula.
However, some 55 years later and the town has never flooded, not even once. Still, residents haven’t been permitted to re-enter – leaving the whole region a complete ghost town. “They kicked us out, claiming that the dam would flood the town, which was impossible because the town is higher than the dam,” Eugenio Jiménez, president of the Association Sons of Granadilla told the BBC back in 2022.
“But those were times of dictatorship, and we had no rights. But what truly frustrates me is that during democratic times, I’ve been struggling for the recovery of Granadilla with the former children’s association, and no government has listened to us.”
Instead of allowing residents to go back to their homes, Granadilla has turned into a tourist attraction – and was officially declared as a Historic-Artistic site in 1980. Funds generated from holidaymakers have gone into preserving the town and its hilltop castle. According to reports, twice a year – on the Day of the Assumption of Mary in August, and All Saints’ Day in November – the former residents of Granadilla and their descendants come together in the ancient village.
“Enter through the narrow Puerta de Villa, overlooked by the sturdy 15th-century castle, which you can climb for brilliant panoramas,” hailed experts over at Lonely Planet. “From the Puerta de Villa, the cobblestone Calle Mayor climbs up to the delightfully rustic Plaza Mayor, surrounded by vibrant buildings. On the right stands the beautiful Casa de las Conchas, its peach-coloured exterior studded with white ceramic shells.
“Some buildings function as craft workshops or exhibition centres in summer. Don’t miss a stroll along the top of the 1km-long Almohad walls, with evocative views of the village, lake, eucalyptuses and pinewoods.”
Granadilla remains somewhat out of the UK tourist limelight as it is situated pretty far from most Spanish airports. For example, it is over three hours from Madrid, and almost four hours from Seville. Salamanca is technically the nearest airport – but no UK airports fly here directly.
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