
There are places that are scary, and in which objectively nothing should happen to us, but fear is not rational, we cannot control it, and hundreds of dark fantasies fill our heads when we pass through them.
No, the dead are not going to rise from a cemetery at midnight, nor do ghosts exist in abandoned houses, nor will we find murderers hiding in some ruins in the middle of the forest waiting for us to arrive. First of all, and just in case, toquem fusta, and that all this is just our imaginations.
If you like to suffer and be scared, or if you are starting in the Urbex, the exploration of ruins and abandoned places, we bring you six places to have a scary time near Barcelona.
Salvana Tower
These medieval ruins are over a thousand years old and were once the defense towers of the Cervelló family, a Catalan barony. Throughout history, the fortification has had many names (Torre Salvana, Torre d’Eles, Torre de Cort or Torre de Sacort), and it is also popularly known as the Castle of Hell. And it certainly deserves it, because more than one would avoid approaching these ruins alone at night. Although if someone has the courage, you can find it in Santa Coloma de Cervelló.
Casino de l’Arrabassada
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But if any building gives bad vibes that is the Casino de l’Arrabassada. It opened in 1899 and had around 23 years of glory, but with some, shall we say, shadows. Legend has it that it had a suicide room prepared for ruined businessmen. It is also said that, after its fall from grace due to the prohibition of gambling in 1912, it was the place chosen for several shootings during the Civil War. Today, all that remains is a mountain of ruins shrouded in mystery and many dead without names, surnames or faces.
Aquatic Paradise Sitges
Very close to Barcelona, in Sitges, is one of the largest abandoned places on the list. Legend has it that the park closed because the wave pool motors failed and sucked in a child, who died instantly. It is more likely, however, that it was debt that killed the park just two years after its opening. But the mystery remains.
Spa of La Puda de Montserrat
La Puda de Montserrat was a spa located on the left bank of the Llobregat. It was built taking advantage of the sulphurous waters that emanated thanks to an earthquake in the 18th century. The spa was built in 1870 and had great fame, welcoming the most select bourgeoisie of Barcelona. In fact, during its best moments it was visited by Isabel II herself. It was closed in 1958 because a rise in the river left it inoperative and since then it has been abandoned.
La Mussara
A note before saying anything about La Mussara: it is in Tarragona, not in Barcelona. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be on the list.
La Mussara is, like so many other villages in Spain -Belchite is, perhaps, the most mythical-, a ghost town. Or, being more precious, abandoned. Abandoned, due to what came to be called the Great Trauma, since 1959. La Mussara is shrouded in a halo of mystery that has to do with parallel dimensions and diabolical stories.
Hotel Colonia Puig
This hotel was built with the intention of accommodating visitors going to Montserrat, although during the Civil War its use changed temporarily to become a hospital where wounded soldiers were treated and became popularly known as the Hospital de la Sangre (Blood Hospital).
Throughout the years it was a very popular destination where different types of events were organized. However, in 1990 it was abandoned and since then it has become a classic of the Catalan Urbex due to its easy location.
Hospital de Sant Llàtzer, the great abandoned hospital of Collserola
If you haven’t come across it on your walks through Collserola, we could say you’re in luck. The old abandoned hospital of Sant Llàtzer is the perfect setting for a horror movie, an empty and untouched giant since its dismantling in 1974, when the last children with tuberculosis who inhabited the building abandoned it.
Born to house the lepers of the neighboring farmhouse of Can Masdeu, which had become the leprosarium of the Santa Creu hospital, it was finished late, so it served to house tuberculosis minors for only 20 years. For 11 years Toni Toret, a castle caretaker, has been living here with his wife and seven dogs, enjoying the solitude of this empty building.
Aquatic Paradise, the abandoned water park.
Located in Sitges, this abandoned water park once promised lots of family fun, but the promise was short-lived. Opened in 1987, it closed just two years later due to economic problems and rumors of tragedies, such as the death of a child in the wave pool.
Today, the park displays a ghostly atmosphere, with rusted slides and empty pools that have been vandalized. Despite its deterioration, or rather, because of it, it has become a popular spot for graffiti artists and skateboarders, who use its facilities as a canvas for their art or ramps for their tricks.