El PUEBLO ABANDONADO MÁS BONITO de España: Granadilla, Extremadura + Cáparra Ciudad Romana
Can you imagine walking through an abandoned village with no neighbors, frozen in time? A place surrounded by medieval walls, a castle that seems straight out of a fairy tale, and streets where no one has lived for more than 60 years. Today we’re going to discover the true history of this ghost town, the reasons for its abandonment, and the legends that still haunt its walls. Well, kids, this is the last video in the Extremadura series, but don’t despair, we’re not leaving Spain yet, as we still have a few from the north of this beautiful country, which is mine. Luckily, I’m going to show you this very special town, but first, I’m going to tell you a little bit about its history while we delve into its old , abandoned alleys. Granadilla was founded in the 9th century by the Muslims, who saw this strategic spot next to the Alagón River and right on the Vía de la Plata route as a perfect place to build a fortified town. As you can see in these pieces of dronazos I dedicate to you, its walls of Almohad origin still surround much of the town and remind us of its defensive past. In the 12th century, it passed into Christian hands and became a royal villa. What does that mean? Well, I’m going to explain it to you right now because I had no idea either. This means that this town didn’t belong to any nobleman or the church, but directly to the king. And what did this entail? That the area itself had greater administrative privileges and that it also reinforced its role as a key enclave of the Kingdom of León. For centuries, Granadilla was coveted by various noble families and finally passed into the hands of the powerful Dukes of Alba. They ordered the construction of the 15th-century castle that I’m showing you right here, built by the Álvarez de Toledo family. During the Middle Ages and the Modern Age, Granadilla was a very prosperous town thanks to livestock farming and trade. And I’m sorry to tell you that this is where the drama begins. In the 20th century, Granadilla changed completely. We can clearly distinguish what the old part of the town was like and where the newer, more restored buildings are. And what about the amazing views from the top of the tower? Absolutely breathtaking. In 1955, Franco’s government decreed the forced expropriation of the entire town for the construction of the Gabriel Galán reservoir. The citizens of Granadilla were evicted, telling them the entire town would be flooded. In the end, this didn’t happen, so they left, in a sense, for nothing. These residents were forced to leave their entire lives behind, as they thought they would lose everything, but the waters of the reservoir didn’t flood the entire town, but rather the surrounding land. To give you an idea, by the late 1960s, there was no one left in this town. It was a very painful situation. Entire families left behind their homes, their memories, and a life they could never recover. You can almost imagine what life was like more than 60 years ago. We have public restrooms here, which are really quite useful, and we see that this whole area has been rebuilt. But here we can see remains of what it once was. For example, this inscription that says this house was built or something like that. González Clérigo, 1576. Super old. And we found this machine around here, and I have no idea what it ‘s for. In theory, I think I’d put it here, but it doesn’t say it anymore. If anyone knows what it is, please let me know in the comments. Our joy was short-lived. We’ve seen that the entire square is full of construction work, but hey, there are surely many more things to see. It’s really quite sad to see it like this. It’s true that there are some parts of the town, as I said, under reconstruction. But this whole old part of town has a lot of charm in this abandoned and half-ruined form. You know, we love abandoned places and all that here, but I’d love to see it as it once was in all its splendor, when the houses were complete and full of life. From what I’ve seen, they also let cattle roam around these lands so the weeds don’t take everything away and it gradually clears up. Look, it’s 1892 here. It looks great. You can’t imagine how hot it is today. Actually, every day in Extremadura the heat is quite intense, or it usually is, but today in particular, my God, I don’t know if it’s 40 degrees, 40-something, because we’re dying. On top of that, it’s already past noon, but it’s intense, honestly. Without a doubt, the shade of the fig tree is where it ‘s best right now. A new member of the team has joined us. Look how beautiful. What big eyes. And we’ve found a treasure, and we think this is part of an old kitchen. Look how well the oven is preserved, and honestly, I don’t know what all this is. Ideal, ideal, Ballart Sabadell. Interesting. Ah. Talleres Ballart says, uh, we don’t know what this was, it could have been a sink or something. And over here, we have a little bench to make a fire, which looks like it could be part of the living room. I say this because I’ve seen some old houses in my town, and they used to have this structure like in the living room. Okay, looking at it more closely, you can see I’ve been talking nonsense. And this is actually an old sink. I’ve also seen some in my town, and it’s 100% a sink. And our little friend who’s been following us from the other place. He’s adorable. Yes, here we have what looks like a super old headboard, but it’s sort of screwed to the wall. So, I don’t know if it was part of a bench or something. And curiously, all over the garden, or in several gardens we’ve seen, there are these slabs with the same names. For example, the Roman city of Caparra, which is close by, which we’ll visit later. So stay until the end. We’ve found the pomegranate tree. Finally, it’s blooming here. So peaceful. Let’s go and see the fruit among the thistles, because my leg is going to be fine. Here we have the little pomegranate. There are some around here that are already rotten, but here we have it. A pomegranate tree in Granadilla. Granadilla has become empty, a peninsula surrounded by the reservoir and accessible only by road from Zarza de Granadilla, a place abandoned but not destroyed. In 1980, it was declared a historic-artistic site, and in 1984, it was incorporated into the program for the recovery of abandoned villages. As you can see, there are quite a few areas under restoration, and from what we learned on our walk around the town, there are students and volunteers helping to restore certain areas. Here we have the church, which really looks amazing, but it’s probably closed. Apparently, we read on a sign around town that some of the tombs in this church were looted when it was abandoned. This must have been quite a mansion, because it’s really, really well-built. I mean, the wall is, look, put together with great precision and superbly. Even these stones are a little larger than the ones in the wall there, but it’s really cool. Look at the rest of the ground, which is obviously a bit overgrown with weeds and such, but you can see what the street used to be like, all stone. It’s not the most comfortable place to walk, but it’s very interesting to see. I told you before, there’s a pomegranate tree in Granadilla, lost among the abandoned houses. And look at the one we have here in the middle of the square, which I hadn’t even noticed. It’s so beautiful. Don’t believe me, I’ve seen a pomegranate tree many times in my life. As I’ve told you, Granadilla not only has history, but is also full of mystery. And, for example, there’s one of the well-known legends, that of the lady and the knight. It is said that during the Muslim invasion, there was a lady living in this tower with whom a knight had been completely in love since he was a child. This knight swore to protect her at all times, and when the enemy approached, he asked her to flee together. She flatly refused, as she didn’t want to abandon her town or her tower. The knight had no choice but to take her by force and put her on his horse, unaware that the lady was hiding a dagger. And what happened? As they fled, the lady stabbed him in the back, and so the lady managed to return to Granadilla while the knight was dying. The knight didn’t die instantly, But days later, he bled, and when he died, he did so in repentance, whispering the word “forgiveness.” It is said that at night in Granadilla, a galloping knight can sometimes be heard whispering this same word. In addition to this tragic story, Granadilla holds other legends. Some say that the residents of Granadilla in the 1950s hid treasures in their houses and castle walls that were never found. There are also those who speak of ghostly apparitions, shadows moving in the Plaza Mayor, footsteps echoing in the empty streets, or strange lights reflected in the night. And, of course, hundreds of stories of broken love, as many couples had to separate forever when their families had to leave this town. These stories still survive in the memories of the people who lived here. Now we’re going to move on to the last part of this video, which I hope you enjoy very much. But you’ll tell me what you think about the story of this town, which was abandoned by a political decision and the lives of many people were completely destroyed. Personally, I was deeply impressed walking through the streets of this town. I had been to Granadilla a few years ago, but I wasn’t mature enough to realize how tragic the story really is. In the towns of Extremadura, there’s no shortage of kittens. I’d like to add that Granadilla has opening hours, and they’ve already closed it for us, so this is our next stop. Like Granadilla, the Roman city of Cáparra also has opening hours, and right now, of course, we found it closed because it surprisingly closed at 2 p.m. What’s up? Thanks to our baby, as always, we can enjoy unique views of the sites, and thanks to this, we were also able to visit the city from above and see it a little more firsthand. The foundations of this ancient Roman city are located half an hour from Granadilla and were part of the province of Lusitania. Its origins date back to the first century when the Romans decided to found an important urban center here on the Vía de la Plata, the road that connected Mérida with Astorga. This was a strategic trading point. Imagine all the people who lived in the area. And it’s a shame that today we can only see the foundations and ruins of this city. At its height, between the 1st and 3rd centuries, Cáparra boasted walls, forums, temples, baths, homes, and even an amphitheater. Here we can also see the remains of the amphitheater. The undisputed symbol of Cáparra is its quadrifrontal arch. Quadrifrontal means it has four doors, and it measures over 13 meters high. If I’m not mistaken, this is the only one in the Iberian Peninsula. From the 4th century onward, it began to decline, and in the Middle Ages, it was practically abandoned until excavations in the 20th century brought to light part of its urban layout and mosaics. If you’re visiting Granadilla, it’s worth a visit, although I’ve only seen aerial views, but it really seems quite cool, so I recommend it. Once again, it’s been a pleasure having you here today. I’m so grateful for all your support, all the comments you’ve been leaving me, all the likes on all the videos, and all the encouragement you’ve given me—it’s truly invaluable to me. So thank you, thank you again. I’m really looking forward to continuing this journey with you, showing you so many more places that I enjoy so much, and I know you do too. So, to many more, today we say goodbye for now, but don’t forget, we ‘ll see you next week. As always, sending you a big kiss and a hug. Bye <3
Hoy nos dirigimos a Granadilla, en Cáceres, uno de los pueblos abandonados más sorprendentes de España. Un lugar rodeado de murallas, con un castillo imponente y calles vacías que parecen detenidas en el tiempo.
Además, muy cerca visitamos Cáparra, una antigua ciudad romana de la Vía de la Plata, famosa por su arco único en toda la península.
¿Qué secretos guardan estos dos lugares? Descúbrelo en este viaje lleno de historia, misterio y leyendas.
Si te gusta mi contenido y quieres apoyarme, sígueme en Instagram o TikTok: @laurawanderlust_
Este vídeo contiene algunas imágenes de Google Earth, Landsat / Copernicus, Data SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, Airb
#caceres #laurawanderlust #españolesporelmundo #paranormal #granadilla #extremadura #leyendas #historiadeespaña #españa #puebloabandonado #abandonado #pueblo #turismorural
46 Comments
Bellisimo video mi doncella . Mi guerrera mi protectora de los Michis. Me encanto el video de ese belllo pais y ciudad. Te mereces un Goya. Cariños besos y abrazos desde Chile tu amiguito que te quiere mucho. Claudio.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
😀
Dear Laura,
I see. Thank you for this interesting and amazing area in a good quality video again, why do i love that so much! ❤ I remember Extremadura region area from other channels like National Geographic and others. This was really breathtaking and interesting, you are good! Thank you for showing this '' haunted '' area, respect! 👍
Wow
Muy interesante bellisima como siempre saludos ❤
La gatita te ha elegido, tiene pinta de querer irse contigo 😍 El pueblo es precioso, ojalá vayan restaurando poco a poco, y preciosas vistas ❤
Wow que lugar, no parece que estuviera abandonado, está bastante conservado con su zonas a restaurar claro. Si me iría de voluntario para la reconstrucción, los 40º C, ya sabes vivo en Mérida Yucatán, son rutina 😥.
Te haz ganado un diez, excelentes tomas, la banda sonora👌🏻 . Gracias por este hermoso paseo. Nos veremos en el siguiente.
Abrazos y Saludos Lau.
🥰🥰🥰🥰
Estos tipo de vídeos me gusta muchoooooo
Súper. Tengo que visitarlos. Aquí en EE.UU, cuando el gobierno expropia tierras privadas, se llama eminent domain. El mejor ejemplo es Centralia, el pueblo en el que se basaron para la película Silent Hill
Unos pueblos muy bonitos, lastima que todo eso se va perdiendo, Un video precioso Laura !!
Es triste escuchar que sea un Pueblo abandonado y que personas sufrieran al irse de ese hermoso lugar…. No tenía idea de que su nombre sea por fruto la Granada que por cierto en Chile se consumo bastante. Gracias Laurita eres un Amor, gracias, gracias, gracias….❤😊
Hermoso lugar, hermoso video!!! W más c puede pedir? Un abrazo enorme!!! Saludos 👍
Ya hace unos años, vi en la televisión un programa que mostró la reconstrucción de ciudades antiguas con computadora. Las nuevas "ciudades" se miraban espectaculares. Ojalá que alguien que sepa de estos asuntos recupere la belleza de la villa de Granadilla en Extremadura. Sus videos son interesantes en extremo. La felicito de verdad, enhorabuena y gracias por compartirlos.
Gracias Laura por este viaje tan bonito al pasado, abrazos desde Argentina🇦🇷🇦🇷
Bsbs genia amo todos los lugares hermosos que nos muestras gracias 😊 bs desde Uruguay 🇺🇾 ♥️
Con vos me enamoró cada vez mas, de la historia y sobre todo de España, espero con ansias el siguiente video, un abrazo Laurita, pronto iré a España y a ver todas sus bellezas😊😊
Como siempre un gusto tremendo ver tus videos, te escribo desde la Ciudad de México
Interesante
ESTIMADA LAURA; ME HA ENCANTADO EL VIDEO DE ESTE BELLISIMO PUEBLITO DE GRANADA Y QUE ES UNA VERDADERA PENA QUE HAYA QUEDADO ABANDONADO PORQUE EL ALMA DEL PUEBLO ES SU GENTE. MUCHAS GRACIAS POR COMPARTIR ESTOS VIDEOS DE EXTREMADURA, QUE HERMOSA REGIÓN DE ESPAÑA. AQUI TE ENVIAMOS UN FUERTE ABRAZO TODOS EN CASA DESDE QUERÉTARO, QRO. MÉXICO.❤❤🎉
Que bello y que triste a la misma vez , tanto ecos en esas murallas, tantos anhelos rotos , tanto amor y tantas lagrimas habran escuchado esas paredes , caminos desolados , sueños incompletos , detras de la historia de este pueblo que , con tu camara nos presentas . Muchas gracias por tu valioso trabajo ,tu arte y tu forma de mostrarlo. Felicidades
Un abrazo enorme para ti .
Octavio,, desde el sur del mundo
Saludos Laura
Un pueblo con tanta historia
Un pueblo en un enclave muy hermoso. Una lástima que esté en este estado. Me ha encantado el reportaje. Gracias.
Gracias Laura me gustan mucho tus videos, cuídate Dios te bendiga 🇲🇽
ESTE CANAL ES INCREÍBLE Y DEBERÍA TENER MUCHO MÁS DE SUSCRIPTORES .
Los lugares mágicos, gracias Laura, de otro modo nunca podría visitar estos lugares tan lindos.
Hola Laura¡ Muchas gracias por estos videos tan bonitos. Me encantan lugares abandonados y con historia y al ser Méxicano mi lugar preferido en el mundo es España, voy cada que tengo oportunidad, este año fui para pasar mi cumpleaños alla. Un saludo afectuoso y estare al pendiente de cada video. Besazos.
España es un precioso museo al aire libre, Laura, pero no sé, observo una gran soledad y abandono poblacional, no sólo en tus videos sino también en los de otros youtubers españoles y es una pena, ¿A qué se deberá esta situación? Aparte el turismo siempre fue una importante fuente de ingresos para España? Yo la recuerdo antes de la pandemia repleta de turistas hasta pasado el mes de agosto y ahora no. ¡Es triste! Es como si se apagara una ⭐ 😢
Hola Lau saludos 🇨🇷🇨🇷 cm siempre excelente video 😊
Esa máquina del minuto 5:30 me parece una cierra para metal
Que espetaculares lugares Laura muy hermosos saludos desde Colombia
Es una sierra de vaivén,se usaba para cortar hierro
Q tremendo vídeo q t haz mandado Laurita, aunque el lugar tiene una historia triste, ciertamente es muy hermoso. Tienes buena mano al momento d relatar los lugares q visitas. Quizás algún día visites Valencia, Cataluña, o donde c encuentran las montañas d Santander o el país Vasco, tierras d mis antepasados. Me encantan tus videos. Eres mi youtuber favorita 🤗 Un abrazote desde Chile 👋🏻🇨🇱
Hola Laura!! Que gran combinación: madera, piedra y herrería, es algo que no te cansas de admirar. Acompañado de historias, dronazos y michis. La máquina antigua me parece que es una sierra (segueta o serrucho) mecánico.
Gracias por el paseo, un saludo y el respectivo like. Chauuuu 🌹
Por algún motivo me gustan ciertas características de éstos Pueblos Antiguos., por otro lado es triste verlo tan desolado.. Pero bueno, que mejor que tú con tu presencia y narrativa para ponerle un Indiscutible Color que Obviamente le da más que vida! 🫶❤️ Me Encantó! 💯 🔝
Un Beso! 🫂
Hola Laura, ¡saludos desde Carnival Adventure en el hermoso Océano Pacífico Sur! Disfruté muchísimo este video. Estaba repleto de información y me encantaron las tomas del pueblo desierto tomadas con el dron. El gatito era adorable. ¡Gracias por compartirlo! Un abrazo. 🏚🐱🤗
He quedado maravillado con esas construcciones del siglo IX son majestuosas que aún se conserven
Por otro lado da gusto saber que se está remodelando esa zona talvez en un futuro próximo se le pueda devolver toda su magnificencia y esplendor de antaño
Disfruto mucho el contenido que subes son interesantes un gran abrazo a la distancia Laurita
Excelente video ❤
Aww Pero qué mujer tan espectacular 😢😊🎉❤
Hermoso pueblo!! Saludos!👋
Cada video es tan especial que lindo saber nuestra historia hasta donde poco a poco todo el tiempo lo consume.gracias por videos asi❤😮😊 saluditos
Que lugares tan hermosos y sus historias fascinantes , me encantan tus videos
Es una pena ver tantos pueblos abandonados por decisiones políticas o por la razón que sea, gracias por tus videos y la información historica❤❤❤
Un lugar que guarda una arquitecta medieval muy importante 👍🏻
Genial! Amo tus videos por favor sigue compartiendo con nosotros estos maravillosos lugares! Saludos desde México! 🇲🇽
ME da que esos hornos parecen de una panaderia
Todo un museo al aire libre, qué penita me dan esos pueblos abandonados.
Balart es el apellido de una conocida qué es de Barcelona!👍
Muy chulo el pueblo y el castillo