Spain is an eminently sun and beach destination. Most of the travelers that our country welcomes, whether foreigners or nationals, seek destinations in the more than 8000 km of coastline that we are lucky to enjoy. However, there is an incipient interest in mystery tourism , the one that looks for places and monuments that have been surrounded by mysterious stories, fed by legends, myths, fantasy literature (or the occult, depending on who’s talking) and entertainment programs. television as Fourth Millennium by Iker Jiménez. Are you interested in this field? Are you looking for new elements of interest to liven up your trips? We propose 10 mysterious monuments of Spain that will surprise you with their myths, legends and extraordinary events. A journey through the Spanish geography of mystery only suitable for those with an open mind.
Monte de las Ánimas, in Soria
Soria is empty today, but there was a time when its lines marked the border of nascent Spain. The legend of Monte de las Ánimas , located in the Moncayo area, was the inspiration for the homonymous work by the famous romantic Gustavo Adolfo Bécque r. What is behind the tragic legend of Alonso and Beatriz, mysteriously killed in the surroundings of Trasmoz, in Soria?
The writer rescued during his stay in the region with his brother one of the legends of the area that tells how the souls of the Templar soldiers and nobles who fought in these lands in times of Reconquest, get up every day of the dead to commemorate the bloody battle between Christians. And it is that the Castilian kings, against the will and hopes of the nobles, gave the defense of Trasmoz and Moncayo to the military order of the Templars . Both, they say, scour the castle and the woods around the battle in search of lost hikers.
Mysterious monuments of Spain: the Fort of San Cristóbal in Navarra
In the vicinity of Pamplona is the Mount of Ezcaba and, nestled in it, a mysterious military fort, the Fort of San Cristóbal , built as a defense of the Navarrese city by order of Alfonso XII. The military complex, which for a time was used as a fortress, quickly became a military prison. This use was resumed during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), being known as one of the toughest military prisons in the country.
Not surprisingly, it would go down to posterity for being the center where our particular “Escape from Alcatraz” took place. Thus, on May 22, 1938, 795 prisoners tried to escape from the clutches of the fortress and its watchmen. More than 300 prisoners died in the attempt, both in the prison and in its surroundings. Since then, the people who claim to have experienced paranormal phenomena have multiplied. To this day, the enclosure remains closed and sealed, but there are always visitors who find a way to sneak inside.
The Córdoba Law School
The Spanish historical universities are other of the mysterious monuments of Spain that few know but that are worth visiting. Thus, in an old 13th-century building of what is now the Faculty of Law and Economic and Business Sciences of the University of Córdoba, there are rumors of people who claim that they have seen ghosts of mothers who lost their children when the building was used. as a maternity hospital. It is also said that a teacher who died of a sudden heart attack haunts the corridors, or that the ghost of a soldier shouts “I’m going to kill you” and the sounds of broken glass are heard (the building was also used as a military hospital).
Plaza Mayor of Madrid
Everyone knows the Plaza Mayor in Madrid for its calamari sandwiches and its terraces to relax after strolling through the city. However, the now peaceful square was the center used by the Inquisition to execute those accused of witchcraft and heresy. Later it was also used as a bullring . These past uses have given rise to the belief that, in moments of absolute silence, you can hear the laments of those executed or the roar of a bull that was sacrificed in the plaza. Have you visited Madrid and its Plaza Mayor? Have you managed to hear more than the bustle of tourists and market stalls?
Mysterious monuments of Spain: Casa Lercaro in Tenerife
We jump from Madrid to the Canary Islands to see one of the islands’ mysterious monuments. Specifically, the Casa Lercaro, located in Tenerife , where the stories tell that Catalina de Lercaro, daughter of an important family of Genoese merchants, threw herself into the well of the house on the same day of her wedding with an older man with whom she forced to marry. The Lercaro family is said to have fled shortly after the burial at the estate of the ill-fated bride’s body. Does the ghost remain on the property? Today the house houses the Museum of History and Anthropology of Tenerife, but so far no paranormal events have been known. For now
At the Thorax Hospital in Barcelona
What will hospitals have that are always among the buildings with the most mystery and the most terror. In this case, the hospital in Terrasa, a Barcelona town, was one of the centers where many patients with tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases congregated in the 20th century. However, it has gone down in history as one of the mysterious monuments of Spain due to the high suicide rate in its facilities . Those who believe in the mystery look to the history of the building for the explanation for such an accident. The most rationalists explain it in the cruelty of the diseases that were discussed here. The truth is that a large proportion of patients threw themselves from the ninth floor to the garden , baptized as the Jungle. Today it is the Audiovisual Park of Catalonia.
Mysterious monuments of Spain: Belchite, in Zaragoza
The Civil War left a geography of pain and death across the country. From the scars of Guernica, to the suffering of Cabra or the bombings in Madrid. However, there were few openly fierce battles between the two sides, and Belchite starred in one of them . More than 6000 people perished in this place, leaving a ghost village of half-demolished buildings . Those who come to visit the scars of the civil strife assure that the echoes of the war can be heard in its streets. Do you want to experience it for yourself? Currently, you can visit this town through the guided tour service of the Belchite Tourist Office.
The House of the Seven Chimneys in Madrid
There is no Madrilenian who does not feel goose bumps when passing by the current headquarters of the Ministry of Culture (or the Casa de América, for another example), the mysterious House of the Seven Chimneys . The legends about this mysterious building say that the ghost of a lady dressed in white who carries a torch haunts the chimneys of the building every night. Who is this mysterious lady? It is rumored that he bears a certain resemblance to one of Felipe II’s mistresses who died under strange circumstances and whose body was never found. Others say they saw another young woman followed by the noise of coins being struck in a sack.
The Preventorio de Aguas de Bussot in Alicante
The Parador de Cardona is one of the most surprising mysterious monuments in Spain. The hotel arose as a rehabilitation of the old medieval castle of the 9th century . The enclave, of course, is ideal, dominating the area. However, here also the legends and mysteries speak of extraordinary events.
According to legend, a young Christian named Adalés fell in love with a Muslim in the 11th century, which was opposed by the father who decided to lock up his daughter in the castle tower. The young woman died and has given rise to rumors of a ghost that manifests itself in a specific room, 712 . In fact, it is hardly used today since there are many users and workers who say that strange noises are heard and that the ghost of the young woman has appeared. On a regular basis, room 712 is only delivered if a client expressly requests it.
