After the Zaragoza Marathon: Belchite
The Route: Zaragoza → Belchite → Zaragoza Logistics: Hire car, about 45 minutes each way across the steppe south of the Ebro. A half-day built round a booked guided visit. Marathon Month: April Duration: Day trip
Zaragoza ──(about 45 mins by car)──> Belchite ──(about 45 mins)──> Zaragoza
The Zaragoza Marathon is a celebration of a city that has been rebuilt many times. Belchite, 50 km to the south, is the opposite: a village destroyed in the Spanish Civil War and deliberately left as it fell.
In the late summer of 1937 Republican forces attacked the town, held by Nationalist troops, and two weeks of fighting destroyed most of it. After the war, Franco's government built a new Belchite beside the ruins using prisoner labour and left the old town standing as a monument. It remains a shell of broken churches, roofless houses and empty streets.
April in Belchite is the best time to come. The surrounding steppe is green for a few weeks in spring, and the days are mild; in summer the ruins are exposed to fierce heat. The wind can be strong on the open plain, and there is little shade in the old town.
There is no practical public transport, so drive. The road south from Zaragoza crosses dry farmland and takes about 45 minutes.
The old village
The old village is fenced and can only be entered on guided visits run by the town. There are historical tours and evening visits on themes such as the legends of the ruins; prices, days and times are published on the town's tourism website, belchite.es, where tickets are booked in advance. Tours run on set days only, so check before choosing the date.
The visit follows the old main street and the squares on foot, over rough, uneven ground with rubble, gravel and broken paving. It is flat enough, but tired legs need care, and good shoes matter. The ruined churches of San Martín and San Agustín, the latter with its tower still standing, are the most striking sights. The guides explain what happened in each street.
The new town
The new Belchite, laid out on a regular grid next to the ruins, has bars and a few restaurants for lunch. The drive back to Zaragoza takes about 45 minutes.