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Belchite, the open wound of Spain's civil war

Like many Spanish villages, Belchite was devastated by Spain's 1936-39 Civil War.

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After the war, Franco visited Belchite and ordered it to be abandoned and preserved in its ruined states for propaganda reasons. A new village was built next door for the surviving residents. The ruins of Belchite are now fenced off and can only be visited via a guided tour. "A rupture took place after the civil war, the past was left behind," said Mari Angeles Lafoz, a socialist councilwoman in Belchite.