A small village in northwest Spain is back on the market just a year after it was sold to a Spanish businessman. Salto de Castro in Zamora was on sale for the trifling sum of $275,000—lower than the average cost of a city center apartment in Barcelona.
Now, the entire settlement is available for purchase once again, but for double the price. So how much is it going for and what do you get if you decide to invest in this abandoned village?
Salto de Castro is all yours if you’re willing to part with $610,000. It’s still a bargain considering you become the proud owner of 44 houses, one hostel, a bar, a swimming pool and a sports area. You’ll also get essential amenities like a church, pharmacy and police station.
The village is located in the stunning natural surroundings of the Meseta Ibérica UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, home to protected species like the Bonelli’s eagle and Iberian wolf. Lying close to the border with Portugal, Salto de Castro also affords magnificent views over the Duoro River.
While the natural surroundings are in an excellent state of health, the village is a little less well-kept. When it was on the market last year, property agents estimated that restoration work to make it an attractive spot for tourists would cost roughly $2.1 million.
Salto de Castro was constructed in the 1940s by electricity company Iberdrola as accommodation for workers engaged in building a nearby dam. But by the 1980s, residents were leaving in their droves to find job opportunities in the cities. Since 1989, the village has been completely abandoned, its houses lying empty.
In 2000, there was a glimmer of hope for the settlement when it was bought with the aim of transforming it into a tourist destination. The global financial crisis of 2008 brought the project to a halt and, in 2022, the village was on the market again.
This sale might be third time lucky for the Salto de Castro, although prospective buyers shouldn’t hesitate as bidding has already begun on the village.
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