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Inside the spectacular Spanish town that was mistakenly abandoned

The town of Granadilla is located in Extremadura in the centre-west of the country and was founded by Muslims in the 9th century, but now lies intact but completely empty

The town of Granadilla now lies empty(Alamy Stock Photo)

A beautiful 9th century town in Spain lies completely empty nearly 60 years after it was abandoned by mistake.

Across Europe many enchanting old towns and villages have been left for ruin over the centuries, to be taken over by flora and fauna once the last person has left.

In most cases small settlements in rural areas are left behind due to a lack of jobs, becoming ghost towns as people head for the big cities.

The case of Granadilla is certainly different, and arguably much sadder than this.

The town is located in Extremadura in the centre-west of the country and was founded by Muslims in the 9th century.

Granadilla has been abandoned for close to 60 years(Alamy Stock Photo)

During the Middle Ages Granadilla boomed and became the main town in an area which included 17 other towns and villages.

In 1950, more than a millennium after it was first founded, a thousand people lived in Granadilla, many of them farmers working the land outside its walls.

Just 14 years later, every single one of them had left.