Belchite

When you decide to visit a place like Belchite, you can’t forget what happened in the Spanish Civil War. The experience is devastating, the destruction is complete. Belchite, ancient town, like the sign in the entrance says, is an enormous open air horror museum. It is an enclave that is disappearing with time and nature. An enormous ruin that will disappear with time and this is why I felt like documenting it.

I was also interested in the architecture of the buildings. The vault compartments that have disappeared with the bombings or are severely damaged, yet the transverse arches are still standing.

The history of Belchite can be summed up like this: after the national uprising against the Second Republic, the militaries of Zaragoza supported the coup, transforming the area into a battle field. The republican army moved forward claiming the regions until they stumbled with an impressive military contingent barricaded in Belchite.

The battle was one of the bloodiest battles in the history of Spain.

The town resisted with such strength that after the victory Franco himself honored the people that were still alive.

He offered a gift for the town, they had to choose between changing the system of dry land crops to an irrigation one, which would have completely transformed Belchite, making it the richest land in Aragón, or to build a new town. They chose the second option, which has left a legacy to new generations: a memory of what happened in that place.

I love this town. I have been there three times and I have also been in its religious holidays. It is a town that we wanted to visit because of its history. The town remains the way it was after the war of Belchite in the Civil War. Many houses have been destroyed and more and more houses fall with the passing of time. They are considered historical ruins and I hope they remain like this.