Belchite is a municipality and town in the province of Zaragoza, Spain, about 40 km southeast of

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Province of Zaragoza, Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Ara ...

. It is the capital of

Campo de Belchite Campo de Belchite is a comarca in Aragon, Spain. It is located in Zaragoza Province, in the transitional area between the Iberian System and the Ebro Valley. The administrative capital is Belchite, with 1,647 inhabitants the largest town of the co ...

''comarca'' (administrative region) and is located in a plain surrounded by low hills, the highest of which is Lobo. The surrounding area is one of the most

arid A region is arid when it severely lacks available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. Regions with arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic. Most ...

places of

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to s ...

. In 1122 Alfonso the Battler founded the Confraternity of Belchite to defend the frontier between the Christian kingdoms and

al-Andalus Al-Andalus translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label= Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, al-Ándalus () was the M ...

. On June 15, 1809, during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spai ...

French and Spanish forces fought in the

Battle of María The Battle of María (15 June 1809) saw a small Spanish army led by Joaquín Blake y Joyes face an Imperial French corps under Louis Gabriel Suchet. Background The Spanish campaign in early 1809 started with the Battle of Uclés. Battle A ...

near the town. Between August 24 and September 7, 1937, during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

, loyalist Spanish Republican forces fought General Franco's rebel forces in the Battle of Belchite in and around the town. After 1939, a new town was built near the ruins of the old one, which remain a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...

as a memorial to the war. The ruins of the old village have been used as filming locations in films including Terry Gilliam's 1988 film '' The Adventures of Baron Munchausen'' and Guillermo del Toro's ''

Pan's Labyrinth ''Pan's Labyrinth'' ( es, El laberinto del fauno, lit=The Labyrinth of the Faun, links=no) is a 2006 dark fantasy horror film written, directed and co-produced by Guillermo del Toro. A Spanish-Mexican(78% Spanish production, 22% Mexican productio ...

''. The ruins were also used in the opening scene of the 1983 ITV documentary ''The Spanish Civil War''.

References

External links

Belchite visitor and historical information
Municipalities in the Province of Zaragoza Ghost towns in Spain Former populated places in Spain {{Zaragoza-geo-stub