Belchite is a forgotten village in Aragon where two realities coexist: the new town of Belchite, built after the Spanish Civil War, and the ruins of the old town.
When we travel, we often choose more well-known, touristy destinations because we know they offer cultural activities, plenty to do, and monuments or museums of general interest. However, often it is in the smaller places where we find a country’s true magic and history.
Such is the case of Belchite, a hidden gem that is increasingly visited and that could soon disappear, as it has been included on the list of the 100 most endangered monuments in the world, with financial resources seemingly arriving too late to save it.
But what happened in this village? Why is it about to disappear? What could draw us to visit such an obscure, little-known place?
During the civil war, Belchite became a strategic point. The Republican side wanted to reach Zaragoza and take it back, while the Nationalist side already controlled almost the entire country. To that end, they positioned themselves in Belchite, which is 49 kilometers from the Aragonese capital.
This is why, between August 24 and September 6, 1937, a battle was fought here between the two sides, killing more than 5,000 people and destroying almost every house.
The Republican side won the battle, but the victory was pyrrhic: they had destroyed everything, and there was nothing left worth holding.
Franco announced that on the ruins of Belchite, a beautiful and spacious city would be built as a tribute to all the victims and their suffering, but in reality, this was a political strategy. The new town was built next to the old one, and the ruins were never repaired. In this way, he wanted to remind his inhabitants of the destruction caused by the enemy.
Today, the old town of Belchite still stands. Its ruins rise above the clay soil, and from afar, you can see the clock tower and the church, clinging on against the slow crumble of time, defying oblivion. Only 15% of what once was remains today.
The town remains alive because many people visit to learn about the country’s history, but also because many feel that the voices of those who once lived there can still be heard, crying out for help.
In 1986, a group of parapsychologists came to these ruins for the first time with the aim of seeing what traces death had left there, and it is said that they recorded psychophonies in which the sounds of bombs, cannons, and people screaming for help could be heard.
After that, the town piqued the curiosity of more daring tourists, who also wanted to make their own recordings and join night tours to make the experience even more intense.
Many say their phone batteries run out when they enter the church; others claim to have seen presences or shadows, or even a girl’s figure in the clock tower. The legends surrounding Belchite are still told, and at the same time the town threatens to disappear, as if crying out for the recognition its history deserves.
This is one of those places we might call sublime for that unsettling mix of beauty and dread it evokes. It is one of those places we must visit so we don’t forget our history — a history that must never be repeated.
