Few getaways are more attractive than those that take us to abandoned places, because of their mystery, and yet we rarely know all the mysterious places that are hidden near the city, like the abandoned modernist spa that we will talk about today.
We are talking about the Puda de Montserrat, one of the most mysterious and fascinating abandoned places in Catalonia. A few meters from the Llobregat River, this former spa has been closed since 1958 and was visited by Queen Isabel II.
The abandoned modernist spa, half an hour from Barcelona.
It may seem surprising, but at the foot of Montserat sprout a sulfuric waters that, historically, have been a place to go to seek cure for all kinds of diseases. La Puda was built on them in 1870, which was one of the most exclusive spas of its time.
It even had its own train station and received the Barcelona bourgeoisie who came in search of miraculous waters to cure respiratory problems, rheumatism and skin diseases. The smell of sulfur, strong and unmistakable, was part of the treatment… and still is today, when you approach it.
The building corresponds to the golden age of the Catalan bourgeoisie, when textile entrepreneurs (many in Manresa or in the various manufacturing colonies on the banks of the Llobregat River) accumulated wealth and imported such luxuries from Europe.
During the Belle Époque, La Puda was synonymous with luxury: gala dinners, literary gatherings, marble baths and breathtaking views of Montserrat. Even nobles and figures of Catalan culture passed through there, such as Queen Isabella II. But the arrival of the 20th century and the successive floods of the Llobregat River, which inundated the space, marked the beginning of the end of La Puda.
A visible ruin?
Today , the building is abandoned, in ruins and completely closed to the public, although it is still visible from the outside. Its decaying appearance, with broken windows, crumbling staircases and walls that have been eaten away by time, make it a scene worthy of a horror movie or a gothic novel.
And although you can not pass through, it is not uncommon to find the fences open and visitors of the abandoned wandering among the ruins. Obviously, we recommend to be very careful because it is a very dangerous ruined building.
In order not to risk it, you can approach it from the C-55 road or from the road that connects the monastery of Montserrat with the town of Monistrol. It is worth making a stop to contemplate what was and what remains, wrapped in that air of sulfuric melancholy that only a place like this can offer.