Abandoned rural town Camarasa

We have already told you about the possibility of buying an entire village in Spain for just 1 euro, but that was several years ago, and now prices have changed “slightly”. For small settlements of several houses, depending on the region, they now ask from 300 thousand to several million euros.

• How much does it cost to buy an abandoned village in Spain

• What you can buy for a million in Spain

• The rise and fall of the power plant

• Can you make money buying a village?

1. How much does it cost to buy an abandoned village in Spain

Recently, an advertisement for the sale of the town of Camarasa in Catalonia for almost a million euros made quite a stir. It reminded us of dying villages and ghost towns.

The sale advertisement appeared in July on several real estate portals. The settlement was put up for sale by the fincascos agency, which specializes in houses, masías and fincas, many of which are abandoned or need renovation.

2. What you can buy for a million in Spain

For 990,000 euros you can buy an entire ghost town with a dozen buildings, a park, swimming pool and tennis courts. The story of rise and decline is quite telling — it’s an example of how quickly progress can change our lives, for better or worse. At the beginning of the 20th century, right here, at the confluence of the Noguera Pallaresa and Segre rivers, the electric company Riegos y Fuerza del Ebro decided to build one of the first dams and power plants that were supposed to supply electricity to Catalonia.

In those days, many cities in Spain did not have proper water supply and electricity, and Camarasa was an island of civilization in pristine wilderness.

3. The rise and fall of the power plant

The power plant was built in 1912, and a small town for company management and service personnel arose nearby. The houses in the settlement were built in an unusual English style, with warm bathrooms and electrical appliances. The town had street lighting, sports facilities, a swimming pool, courts and a school for children with invited teachers.

In many ways it was an elite place. And together with the English administration, English order reigned in the town. At 5 o’clock in the afternoon, the town bell announced that it was tea time.

What a striking contrast to what this town became just 100 years later. Many houses are without power and abandoned, and some have broken windows. And the only thing protecting them from looters is a sign reminding about private property.

With the modernization of the power plant in the 1980s, part of the staff left the settlement, and from the 1990s it was completely empty. Although the power plant operates today — you can come for a tour and watch how tons of water are discharged through giant concrete barriers.

4. Can you make money buying a village?

The houses have been abandoned for almost 30 years, utilities and engineering networks need updating. Therefore, before you start earning, you will have to seriously invest in infrastructure and reconstruction.

Nevertheless, real estate market experts evaluate this offer positively. Yes, this is “long” money, and you will have to invest a lot at first, but the location is very promising — both in terms of tourism development and in light of the growing demand for country houses and rural routes.

Tourism in the region is very well developed: water tourism, mountain tourism, hiking routes — so the municipality hopes that the new owner of the town will breathe a second life into it, put it in order and turn it into a center of tourist attraction. After all, those who engage in hiking or canoeing wouldn’t mind staying for a couple of nights.

The interest of municipal authorities in the development of the town of Camarasa adds optimism. They promise their administrative and informational support.