Abandoned towns of Galicia

The abandoned towns of Galicia respond to a circumstance common to the rest of Spain: the abandonment of rural areas to settle in urban areas. Many of the inhabitants of these villages ended up leaving for cities like La Coruna, Vigo, Lugo o Ferrol to be able to make a better living than farming.

However, there are also other uninhabited towns for other reasons. Among these, the construction of a new village, the construction of a swamp or even more poetic reasons that sink into legend. In any case, these villas are testimony to the depopulation of the Rural spain, but retain a certain mythical halo. And, above all, they present a melancholy beauty. Therefore, we are going to show you some abandoned towns in Galicia. And we say only some because in the Galician community there are cataloged around two hundred. These are worth as a sample of a past world that has sadly disappeared.

Or Salgueiro

It is one of the most popular and visited. It is located in the parish of Meadow of Limia, council of dolls, south of the province of Orense. To give it even more mysticism, in her time it had tens or hundreds of inhabitants and was prosperous. These were dedicated to extracting coal and even lending money. Perhaps for this reason, you can still see mansions with good ashlar masonry and stonework.

But, if this village is beautiful, its surroundings are even more so. It is in the Natural Park of Baja Limia- Sierra de Xurés, an area of ​​almost thirty thousand hectares declared a biosphere reserve. It is the largest and wildest of all Galicia and, as a curiosity, we will tell you that it houses some species more typical of Mediterranean climates.

However, it also has an interesting artistic heritage. Paleolithic archaeological sites stand out, such as those of Mount of Quinxo y Lumiares Mountains. But also others from Roman times such as the camp of Here Querquennis, known as “A Cidá” and dated to the XNUMXst century after Jesus Christ.

More modern are monuments that you should also visit. For example, Churches of Santa Maria la Real, with its baroque façade, of San Miguel de Fondevila and, already out of the park, that of holy comba, which is Visigothic from the XNUMXth century. Also, you have bridges like those of Casal or Ganeiros and even remains of fortresses such as those of Vila and Monte de Castelos.

Finally, we will tell you that, a few years ago, a project was created to recover life in O Salgueiro, turning it into ecovillage. We do not know at what stage this project is. But you should know that, to visit this abandoned town in Galicia, you will need authorization from the Galician Xunta.

Vichocutín, exponent of the abandoned towns of Galicia in Pontevedra

We now pass to the province of Pontevedra to tell you about this village in the parish of pedre, in the council of Cercedo-Cotobade. As a curiosity and so that you realize how old its origins are, we will tell you that the place name is due to the name of its medieval lord, Visclacuntine, probably of Germanic origin.

In his case, it was abandoned due to the construction of a new road between Orense and Pontevedra. As it ran away from the original town, its inhabitants settled in the new location, on the edge of the road. But you can still see the old houses of the primitive Vichocutin.

Also, since you visit this abandoned town, we advise you to go to see some interesting monuments in the area. For example, in Portela de Laxe, you have the petroglyphs of the Horseshoes Stone, which is estimated to be about two thousand years old. You should also visit the Monastery of San Pedro de Tenorio, whose origins date back to the XNUMXth century, and the churches of San Martín de Rebordelo, San Xurxo de Sacos and Santa María, as well as the chapels of San Juan de Cercedo and San Bartolome.

San Fiz Vello

We return to the province of Orense, which is the one that accumulates the most abandoned towns, to tell you about this other one located in the parish of Saint Catherine of Saint Fiz, in the council of Veiga. As with so many other villages, it was abandoned when its inhabitants moved to a more modern construction. However, this was not very successful either, since, according to the 2014 census, it had five residents.

If you visit San Fiz, we recommend that you take the opportunity to do one of the hiking trails that you have in the area. For example, the one that goes to Previnca Rock or the one that surrounds the prada swamp. But above all, get close to the Pitcher of Moura, an incomparable natural space of caves, water and stones on the edge of the Corzos River. According to legend, a died he comes out of the water every day and sits on the rocks.

Hórreos, a curiosity among the abandoned towns of Galicia

We have titled the section dedicated to this village in this way because, although it was abandoned in 2005, since then it has received four inhabitants. It belongs to the homonymous parish of the Council of Folgoso do Courel, in the province of Lugo.

If you like speleology, you will have a double reason to visit this village, since it is close to the aradelas abyss, which, with its 128 meters, is the deepest cave in Galicia. But it is not the only one. You can also practice this sport in the cave of tralacosta, where there are even underground rooms, or in the Criminal, with more than six hundred meters in length.

Likewise, you have an interesting monumental heritage in Folgoso do Courel. Great value have their celtic forts, among which those of Vilar, Torre, Miraz and, above all, Torexe stand out. For its part, in Esperante you have the ruins of the carbedo castle and St. Peter's Church; in Seceda the Saint Sylvester Church; in Seoane do Courel a curious ironworks and in Visuña, the Church of Saint Eufemia.

Xei village

We now travel to the province of La Coruna to get to know the village of Xei, located in the council of Noya. It was inhabited until the second half of the XNUMXth century and, in its case, the reasons for its abandonment were different. On the one hand, that its water flour mills ceased to be exploited with the generalization of electricity, which were its main source of work and, on the other, its poor geographical health conditions.

To get to it, you can follow the path that starts from the medieval bridge of Traba and even today you can see the remains of their houses and traditional mills. But, since you visit Xei, do not forget to approach to the capital of the council, Noya, which has much to offer you.

To begin with, its geographical location is spectacular, in the interior part of the Muros estuary, the northernmost of the lower estuaries. As if that were not enough, Noya is an architectural marvel with a medieval historic center and numerous traditional houses. You should also visit the churches of Santa Maria, built in the XNUMXth century following canons of maritime Gothic, and San Martin, of the XV. To the same century belongs the Pazo of Forno do Ratowhile that of dacosta is dated 1339. Lastly, the nafonso bridge, on the river Tambre, dates back to the Middle Ages, although its original form is from the XNUMXth century.

Candlestick

We finished the sample of abandoned towns in Galicia in this small village in the parish of Corm and the council of A Coruña Get started. This is also a curiosity because it is only one kilometer from the coast and well connected. Therefore, it has nothing to do with the majority of abandoned villages, which are usually lost in the mountains.

However, the barely six houses in Candelago are empty and you can visit them. You will find old seafaring houses, traditional hórreos and sheds or overhangs. It was left uninhabited at the end of the XNUMXth century, when the older ones were dying and the younger ones left looking for a better life.

As an anecdote, we will tell you that, as happens with other abandoned towns in Galicia, Candelago is for sale. Therefore, you may find a buyer who will give you a second life.

In any case, if you visit this village, take the opportunity to see the spectacular Death Coast. Enjoy beaches such as Osmo, Ermida or Estrella and objects as curious as the Serpe Stone, a rock that is at the entrance of gondomil in which the image of a winged serpent is engraved. Its authorship is not clear, but it is related to the Celtic cult of this mythological creature. But above all, get close to Roncudo Point, which receives this name due to the noise caused by the sea hitting its cliffs and from which you have wonderful views of the Costa da Morte.

In conclusion, we have shown you some abandoned towns of Galicia. We could tell you about many more, since are numerous in this autonomous community. For example, Codesas, in the Ribeiro region of Ourense; To Peneda, Arcos o Village of Barca, also in Orense; To Sinada y Or Castle of Nogueira in Pontevedra or penaveada in Lugo. As we were saying, many of them have been put up for sale trying to get them back to the life they once had. But, in any case, they are silent witnesses of a rural past that, sadly, will no longer return. Don't you want to know these villages?