# Squattin / rebuild abandoned town in Spanish Pyrenees



## Quetzal

Lookin for people who are interested to build a micro utopia in one of the abandoned towns of the pyrenees. Open to painters, craftsmen, militants, writers, philosophers, punks, musicians, story tellers, poets, dreamers, pirates & anyone who wants to help !


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## acrata4ever

whos there now?


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## oki

cool, weve had that idea often, when i was younger. never did it though.


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## Quetzal

acrata4ever said:


> whos there now?



Depends, there are a lot of little ghost towns in the pyrenees. Some are half occupied or still used as holiday homes, some are completely abandoned. Im now at the moment with a friend in south of France, were leaving wednesday to explore the mountains for a month in search for a town with acces to fresh water.


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## PistachioSky

badass


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## flashinglights

looks beautiful!


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## bicycle

sounds like a good plan! wish you all the best with it and maybe in a year or so the wind would blow me towards the south.


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## Cardboard

I'm in southern spain now, if you scout something good, keep me updated, Im always up for helping. I know quite some people that have done/are doing this, and if you want some pointers, also let me know.


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## Matt Derrick

Daaaamn. That looks sweet. Keep us updated!


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## plagueship

do european ghost towns not have owners/caretakers/historical protection like ones in the u.s.?


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## Cardboard

not all of em. They aren't so uncommon as in the states. There is even a lot of opportunities to squat castles, old churches... whatever. Some of the better condition ones have been restored and have caretakers, but these ones in the Pyrenees are so common that it isn't worth the time.


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## Cardboard

Also, if you are serious about this, consider taking a legal route once you have found one that is suitable, and buy it. A friend bought one last year for 6k, just a parcel of land. After exploring it all he house found 2 springs, a river, and 2 settlements (one has 4 houses and a barn, the other 6 houses). You probably wont face much legal trouble squatting it (there are legal loopholes allowing squatting in Spain), but this is a lifetime project, and you never know when things might change in the future.


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## Sen

If I can find a way to get there, I'm totally game. That whole passport thing has me tripped up at the moment.


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## Margarita

Wow! It looks so gorgeous! If you can find a clean, reliable source of water then you should be golden.  If I were in Europe I would be heading for Spain as we speak... if you are serious about this then I'm sure you will still need help once I do make it across the Atlantic, and I would be thrilled to provide it. Keep us updated!


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## Blacknose

I'll be making my way south this week . Planning to hit up Tarrega festival on the way to Granada and have to be back for a gig around the 20th of Sept. but I'd be really interested in such a project! Been talking about just that with many friends many times and i think one of them is actually working on a village in spanish pyrenees right now !

Hope to hear from you!


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## harrison

i will be headed to spain in late december, id love for this to be a reality, keep me updated


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## fr33rang3r

holyshit im in love.

how's this project going?


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## Eviscerate

Where is this place and where can you find other places like it?
This is incredible and i'd be totally keen to get in on it.
I'll be in europe sept next year but could come earlier if it actually started getting set up.


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## TheUndeadPhoenix

Militants, you say? Lemme get my guys...


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## Eviscerate

Why is there a one minute expiry date of the edit button?
Anyway
Cardboard can you expand on the whole buying a parcel of land for 6k? Where would you buy that from? 6k seems awfully cheap for something with a bunch of houses on it.
Also whats the climate like in the Pyrenees? what kind of stuff would grow there? i imagine the winter would be harsh as.
How far away from a city would these places be should we need to get some supplies from town or getting new people to join the place?


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## EmmaJane

How many people are really committed to this so far? Are you still looking for people to join? 

I was going back to university for a year, but I could be there as soon as I have the money saved up to go (and some besides to chip in for supplies etc). This would literally be a dream come true..


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## fr33rang3r

this idea so resonates with so many of us. it may be a few years but i hope we all find something similar to it.


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## Cardboard

I have heard hundreds of people talking about this, and known VERY few to ever follow through. I wouldnt get your hopes up Emma Jane
@eviscerate- Its not that uncommon, and actually when he bought it, he didnt even know it had houses. I wouldnt call them houses so much, rather ruins (which are fucking everywhere in Europe), but in a state that they were reparable. I think you could easily find something similar, if you just searched for it a bit (even in the states). There is a lot of land that is so rough you cannot build there easily, and goes for near to nothing. look around in montana a bit, I know some people who have managed to buy 600 acres there, of undevelopable land, for really cheap. Some other friend were looking at property in Greece for 4.5k, I forget the size of the parcel, but also quite large.
In spain, on the south side of the pyrenees, its not so bad. If you are actually "in" the mountains, then yes, its gonna be harsh, but at lower altitudes on the south side expect temperate climate, mild winter. a lot of the untouched ones, you can expect at least a 40 km drive to supply. better to come out once in a while with a bus and large stocks of dry goods (and the first few years, you wont be sustainable, so I wouldnt think of wintering over untill you didnt have to leave for supplying. the roads arent that great out there. think late spring to early autumn, for at least 3 years, to prepare the land, and restore some of the buildings. Need people who can farm, and get some animals out there when you are finally going to stay. after 3 years prep, you might be able to have something up and running that you would only have to go to town once a year to supply, and hopefully can trade with you neighbors for what you dont grow (olives are everywhere, oil is a commodity...)


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## EmmaJane

Thanks Cardboard. Over the years I have done a lot of research and put a lot of thought into the idea of establishing an alternative community, but the trouble is always going to be finding people who are actually committed to the idea.


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## Cardboard

Well, it's really not that hard EmmaJane. I feel like a ton of people are just waiting for the right people to arrive, or the right location. If you accept the fact that it can be temporary, and you can enjoy the experience, I say go for it. I have been active in the forming of several communities, in quite some different places, not many of them exist anymore. Sometimes though, a 3-5 year project is enough to enjoy your time, but not get burnt out. Honestly, I think it is when you really want to do this, and you eventually get so frustrated with everyone else and say, "Fuck it, I'll do it myself then!". that you are really on the right path. It is a strange phenomenon, that when you angrily stomp over, pick up the hammer and nails, and start building, the other finally join. Good luck to you, and when you are finally at that point, put a thread on here for us that says something less like "Who wants to build an alternative community?" (which is almost everyone), and more like "Here IS an alternative community!". See how they flock in. If you get serious at some point, drop me a pm, and I can recommend some nice zines, and maybe share some ideas with you about how communities work (ie what not to do, what to look out for, how to get started...).


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## Eng JR Lupo RV323

Nice necro, this cat's been mia since the day after this post almost half a year ago. Pretty place and all but I don't think much is coming of it, at least not through this thread.


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## Cardboard

Engineer Jason Roseville said:


> Nice necro, this cat's been mia since the day after this post almost half a year ago. Pretty place and all but I don't think much is coming of it, at least not through this thread.


Hopefully, they are in the Pyrenees...


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## Sen

Anyone know of any places in the states to do something like this?

Granted, the NSA will probably watch us with satellites and deem us a "terrorist training camp" or something, but whatever.


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## Cardboard

Anywhere Sen! I would recommend figuring out what sort of climate you can deal with, and whether you want it urban or rural, then start shopping around. I'm sure with the internet these days, its probably easy to find real estate companies selling "wasteland" to corporations and the rich. This is usually dirt cheap, undevelopable land, usually not in the best location, but for a community, could be perfect.
I honestly think for a long term project its a great idea to buy land (or even not for a project, owning land is never a bad thing), rather than squatting it. This will open up a lot of options for you, as well as protect you from a lot of troublems that could come up down the road.
For a lot of alternative folks, the cheapest options sound the worst (a lot of the midwest has dirt cheap land for example), but in my opinion, its better to challenge the local norms than to fall into an area that is full of progressive folk already. Spread the good word to those that haven't heard it already! Of course having a lot of local support is good to, so I guess its up to what you want to do.
Even Hawaii has a ton of cheap land, a friend bought some land there for 900/acre in 2006, though it is protected by the state from being developed. Damn, only green building, what a bad deal... 
and of course, there's always Slab City....


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## Sen

I've been thinking about Slab City, but I don't have the equipment to do that, and I'd need to find a steady income it seems.

When they're selling, say 250 acres for $40,000.. is that typically a package deal, or could you buy, say 10 acres? I don't have the cash to buy a huge plot, but I could chip in on a bigger project.


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## Sen

http://www.land4less.us/details.php?plugin_id=28&exmenu=&p_id=90

That's not bad, if it weren't in the middle of nowhere. 5 people = $600 buy in


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## Cardboard

The land is usually sold in the size that they want to sell it. I guess its less hassle to find someone who wants to break it up into lots and sell it out to more people (if thats even possible with zoning laws in said area).
If you want really cheap land, consider heading south of the border, I have heard in some places in mexic land is going for 15-20$ and acre. It's desert, but if you can find a use for it why not...


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## Jawline

Check ebay for land aswell, my dad bought a couple hundred acres not too long ago in texas, arizona, and new mexico for less than 5k per lot. though I'm not sure what you could grow on that land, i'm no expert on botany


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## latcho drom

autonomy in food and energy is a serious issue...but with good organization many problems can be solved...i'm still learning on this...that's why i want to visit lakabe,it's an autonomous community also at the pyrenees to get some knowledge...this project needs lots of sacrificing and a number of people who are really into this...and of course,time...i'm in berlin at the moment but i'm really thinking of projects like these...keep updating and most probably i'll drop by and offer what i can in this project...just want to do some things more in the civilised society before taking the mountains!


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## latcho drom

"civilised society"...


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## Vonuist




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## tomiwisi

Hi! How is your project going?
I'll be in Pyrenees soon, so if there's need of horse-power just say a word...


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## Thoreau

Been long but i also want to know how things are goin. Im planing to cross the pyreness, probly by shoreside, into france. It would be awsome if I instead could go there.


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## fotorebelion

hey man sounds cool i a live in squat in barcelona, but in the city  always dreamed about squating a village, especially after this summer that i had been traveling around difrent countryside places.. are still on with this idea.. maybe i can go vist


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## japanarchist

Any updates on how this went? I really want to go to Spain and do something just like this. Also does anyone know how to contact Cardboard?


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## creature

is this thread still alive?

please PM me, if it is..

thanks,

C


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## Whereamiwhatdoido

Good thing that it isn't unheard of on a board like this. I will go and find myself a community to join in the following months. Hopefully I'll drop in on a place that need shoes filled just my size. 

Has anyone heard or read or visited any of these sites in the past year?


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## Chrissy Alleyn

I'm in northern Portugal now, meeting up with another vehicle for a sweep from Galicia to Navarre in March/April, looking for a good sized abandoned settlement, we have five adults and two babies committed to joining us shortly after, with a few more maybe's. Anyone want to join, or already on the ground and seeking support, drop me a line.


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## RB2805

Anyone know the status of this or any other active/potential sites in the region? We are looking for a squat/communal site to help create in the Pyrenees.


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## TheRealRadical1

Holy shit, where did you find this?


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## TheRealRadical1

Are you an anarchist?


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