Northern Spain

by matthewrhucroft

35 Places

Eltziego, Spain

Hotel Marques De Riscal

A medieval village holds a very modern hotel.

Kergin

Added by Kergin

Park of the Sleepless (El Parque de los Desvelados)

A landscape decorated with enormous skull sculptures.

serflac

Added by serflac

Portugalete, Spain

Vizcaya Bridge

Two towns are linked by an engineering marvel masquerading as a boring suspension bridge.

Added by mcuetu

Jeff Koons' Puppy

Giant topiary dog once played a role in a terrorist bomb plot.

littlebrumble

Added by littlebrumble

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Spain

Gaztelugatxe

Hundreds of stone stairs and a winding medieval bridge connect this haunting Spanish island to the mainland.

EricGrundhauser

Added by EricGrundhauser

Kortezubi, Spain

Bosque Animado de Oma

A living art gallery painted on a canvas of Monterey pine trees.

serflac

Added by serflac

Pheasant Island

This tiny river island switches sovereignty every six months as part of a rare, centuries-old agreement.

lewblank

Added by lewblank

Zugarramurdi, Spain

Museo de las Brujas (Witches Museum)

A museum dedicated to the Spanish occult in a town that was terrorized by the Inquisition.

serflac

Added by serflac

Museo Santxotena

Eccentric sculpture garden brings Basque mythology to life.

serflac

Added by serflac

Sigüés, Spain

Abandoned Village of Esco

A Franco-era dam flooded (almost) everyone out of this centuries-old Aragonese town.

Added by theptyza

San Martín de la Virgen del Moncayo, Spain

Abandoned Agramonte del Moncayo Tuberculosis Sanatorium

The deserted remains of a luxury hotel turned hospital ward.

serflac

Added by serflac

Monastery of San Juan de la Peña

This religious complex carved into a cliff is steeped in legends of miraculous stags and the Holy Grail.

philoursmars

Added by philoursmars

Chemin de la Mâture

This narrow path was cut right into a French mountainside to feed the country's early naval expansion.

philoursmars

Added by philoursmars

The Jaca Citadel Military Miniatures Museum

32,000 tiny soldiers are posed in 23 historical settings.

serflac

Added by serflac

Canfranc, Spain

Canfranc International Railway Station

Abandoned Nazi train station turned underground astroparticle laboratory.

serflac

Added by serflac

Belchite, Spain

The Ruins of Belchite

A site where “the ravages of the war are more striking…than any other place in contemporary Spain.”

Nichali Ciaccio

Added by Nichali Ciaccio

Rodellar, Spain

The Hole at Rodellar

An arresting arch punched straight through a mountain provides one of the most scenic spots, and challenging climbs, on the planet.

serflac

Added by serflac

Alcubierre, Spain

The George Orwell Route

A series of recreated fortifications mark George Orwell's path through the Spanish Civil War.

Jose Manuel Couto

Added by Jose Manuel Couto

Sanctuary of Torreciudad

Sanctuary on a ridge near an ancient shrine to a "Black Madonna" built by the founder of Opus Dei.

serflac

Added by serflac

Estinclells Iberian Site

Archaeological site of Iberian people ruins.

serflac

Added by serflac

Museu del Joguet (Toy Museum of Catalonia)

Museum of amazing old toys and automata.

El Fonoll, Spain

El Fonoll

An independent naturist colony amidst 1000-year-old ruins.

serflac

Added by serflac

Mas de la Muga

Hidden well off the beaten path in Catalonia is this crumbling medieval castle that is slowly being covered in graffiti.

EricGrundhauser

Added by EricGrundhauser

Sant Pere de Ribes, Spain

Autódromo de Sitges-Terramar

This abandoned racetrack looks like it is set to hold competitions in the apocalypse.

rossrheinbach

Added by rossrheinbach

Sant Quirze Safaja, Spain

Church of Sant Miquel del Fai

An enchanting monastery in the Spanish countryside appears lifted from a fantasy tale.

serflac

Added by serflac

Cardona Salt Mountain

Mine shafts and hard pastries await visitors at this massive mountain of salt.

AurosHarman

Added by AurosHarman

Vilanova de Sau, Spain

Sant Romà de Sau

A Romanesque tower appears when water levels drop.

serflac

Added by serflac

Santa Pau, Spain

Hermitage of Santa Margarita Crater

Religious dwelling in a Spanish volcano.

serflac

Added by serflac

Porqueres, Spain

Bosc de Can Ginebreda

A darkly erotic open-air statuary in Catalonia.

serflac

Added by serflac

Argelaguer, Spain

Parc Garrell

Wonderland replication in progress by one persistent man.

serflac

Added by serflac

L'Alt Empordà, Spain

Les Escaules

At the foot of a waterfall lies a peaceful swimming lagoon and evidence of over 60,000 years of human habitation.

serflac

Added by serflac

Walter Benjamin Memorial

Haunting monument to the German Jewish philosopher who died while fleeing fascism.

Allison

Added by Allison

Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via, France

Odeillo Solar Furnace

The world's largest solar furnace uses 10,000 mirrors to concentrate the sun's rays to generate power.

Les Escaldes, Andorra

The Andorran Model Museum

A museum of tiny buildings in the tiny country of Andorra.

Dylan

Gourgue d'Asque

A French valley with forests so lush it was nicknamed "the Small Amazonia of the Pyrenees."

Edouard

Added by Edouard