There is no Spaniard who does not know stories about Belchite, a Zaragoza town that has suffered its own throughout history. Today it is one of the many ghost towns in the world. The ruins of old Belchite seem to have something to say, which is why the place has become a regular pilgrimage for lovers of the paranormal.
the cradle of the paranormal
Old Belchite is a completely uninhabited ghost town, which has all kinds of legends about ghosts and strange presences. Every year more than 10,000 tourists travel to this place in Zaragoza to check the sensations that are felt in the place.
Countless investigators of paranormal events have gathered in these lands since the 1960s. The result has been all kinds of psychophonies, stories and legends about events that are difficult to explain. Screams, laments, presences, shadows, bells ringing, strange noises, etc. This is what the experts say is happening in Belchite.
Despite its connection to the world of the paranormal, Belchite is one of the towns with the most history in Spain, where it is possible to experience the past in a different way. A visit to the ruins of the clock tower or the convent of San Agustín is perfect to understand the suffering caused by one of the most devastating wars of the 20th century.
Several battles ravaged him
This beautiful town in the province of Zaragoza has a very peculiar and disturbing history. At first it was a sign of how well the region was doing economically. In fact, it had several churches and convents inside. Belchite has been inhabited for many centuries, being in the seventeenth century when the inhabitants of the town were able to obtain independence.
Despite all this, Belchite is one of the best known “cursed” towns in the world. Neither the beauty of its buildings nor its eternal past managed to keep the town standing after countless battles suffered by its inhabitants.
The first known confrontations in Belchite date back to the Punic Wars. In 1809, during the War of Independence, the so-called Battle of Belchite originated, which pitted Spanish soldiers against French troops, with victory for the latter. For this reason, Napoleon engraved Belchite’s name on the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
During the First Carlist War (1838) many battles were fought in Belchite. However, the tragedy of this Zaragoza town had only just begun. After enduring all kinds of combats and disputes, the Spanish Civil War arrived, which would turn the town into endless ruins.
Belchite was taken by the Francoists in 1937 and in the summer of that same year, the Spanish Republicans attacked the town in a massive way. His goal was to drive away the nationalists from northern Spain. During the conflict, and in subsequent days, there were more than six thousand casualties caused by the battle in Belchite (between soldiers and civilians). In addition to the personal casualties, the result was a completely devastated town, in which all the buildings were tremendous ruins that revealed the ravages of a war with little meaning.
As is well known, the Spanish Civil War was won by the Francoist side and General Franco assured the survivors of Belchite that the town would see the light of day again with all the greatness that its brave neighbors deserve. Franco proposes two options to the people of Belchi to recover the town. The first proposal is to do it himself and at no cost to the neighbors, and the second option was based on allowing the inhabitants to take care of the reconstruction of Belchite, with the commitment that Franco would build an irrigation canal that would bring water from the Ebro river. The people of Belchi opted for the first option.
Franco used prisoners of war to rebuild Belchite, which was inaugurated in 1960. But, despite the fact that it had been said that there would be no cost to the residents, the new houses were put up for sale. This made many of the Belchitenses choose to go to other towns in the area. The result was an abandoned town, with numerous legends about ghosts and apparitions.
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