A deserted village on Spain’s wild Atlantic coast has been put up for sale – for less than the price of many flats in Madrid.
The tiny settlement of Candelago, in the province of A Coruña, is now looking for a buyer willing to bring it back to life.
Spain is believed to have around 3,000 abandoned villages, many of them in Galicia after decades of rural depopulation. But Candelago stands out because the entire hamlet is being sold as a single property.
Located on the dramatic Costa da Morte, the village sits just a short distance from the Atlantic Ocean and is surrounded by lush countryside and hiking routes.
A ghost village waiting for new life
Candelago is made up of around a dozen traditional stone houses, along with several horreos – the raised grain stores typical of Galicia.
The buildings have been empty for decades and are now in poor condition, meaning the future owner would need to restore them before they could be used again.
But the setting is hard to beat.
From the village there are sweeping views across the rugged Costa da Morte landscape, with dense greenery and coastal scenery all around.
Nearby passes the famous Camiño dos Faros, a spectacular hiking route along the Galician coast popular with nature lovers.
Abandoned since the 1970s
Like many rural communities in northern Spain, Candelago was gradually deserted as residents moved to cities for work.
The village has been uninhabited since the 1970s, becoming another casualty of Spain’s rural exodus.
That could soon change.
The entire village was originally listed for €200,000, but the price has now been reduced to €150,000 to attract potential buyers.
For someone with the vision – and the budget to renovate it – the ghost village could be transformed into a unique rural tourism destination just minutes from the Atlantic coast.
