Skip to main content

Where

The backdrop for our project unfolds amidst the serene landscapes of Spain, within the abandoned village of Bárcena de Bureba. This village, resides under the jurisdiction of the Abajas municipality. If your online quest leads you astray, I recommend directing your search towards Abajas rather than Bárcena, as the latter may mislead you to an inaccurate location.

Nestled within the greater expanse known as Burebas, with its capital Briviesca, lies a mere 33 kilometers from our village. This place is also an integral part of the province of Burgos, its own capital located 40 kilometers away. The village finds its home within the expansive embrace of Castilla y León, the largest autonomous region in Spain.

The neighboring locales further enrich the tapestry of our surroundings. Briviesca, with approximately 6,300 residents, and Burgos, a bastion of Castile y León boasting around 174,000 inhabitants, weave their stories into the fabric of our landscape. Burgos, in particular, is renowned for its castle and cathedral, icons that stand as testament to the region's historical grandeur.

Our proximity to other cities enriches the experience further. Miranda de Ebro, a hidden Spanish gem off the tourist trail, embraces visitors with its cozy charm. Meanwhile, Vitoria/Gasteiz, a city nestled within the embrace of the Basque Country, welcomes tourists with open arms and reveals a world of rich culture and history.

Journeying northward unveils the captivating cities of Bilbao and San Sebastian, where the sea's embrace harmonizes with the vivacity of Spanish culture. To the south, the capital city of Spain, Madrid awaits, positioned 300 kilometers away. In the same direction lies Salamanca, a city of history and academia.

This landscape, teeming with history, culture, and beauty, shapes the realm in which our project flourishes—a mosaic of old-world charm and contemporary allure.

 

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The first week of work

After the transaction we had time to think about what we could do in the village, as now we are the owners. The next option for us to go to Spain was in the autumn holidays. Earlier on we tried to combine it with Spanish classes for the kids, but we couldn’t arrange extra free time from school, so we had to stick to the one week of school vacation. We thought about starting at one of the houses which is in the relative good condition, like getting a door, so we could close it and store stuff there. But we had no electricity or tools as we had no space to keep stuff safe. So we were kind of stuck in a chicken and egg problem. To get out of this we set up a plan to get a container which we could lock. But that would not be there for this vacation. Then Maaike’s parents asked: “Would it be of any use if we were there with some tools to clear away the burrs, bushes and so on?” Of course that would be great! We were happy that they were enthusiastic and by itself there was a plan to do ...

El Vicino

In May we went to 'our' village to show it to the parents of Maaike. So we drove there and after a half our drive with a lot of corners we were a bit drowsy getting out of the car. And there stood a friendly man in blue overalls.  He seemed Spanish we asked Maaike to talk to him. But she did not know what to say. So we looked at each other for a couple of minutes.  Then he started to tell that the village is empty which we agreed upon off course. He also told that the village was being bought by some people. Maaike asked if she should reply and we said yes please do. After telling the we are the mysterious people we are buying the village he started to tell a lot of stories. His name is Gerardo. He was born in the village and now lives in Burgos and in the summer in Abajas.  He knew about the buy because he owns a parcel of land and did not want to sell. He want to keep it for income and only wants to rent it out. So we talked about that for a bit and as we were intereste...

Finding the right pieces of land

When we first visited Bárcena de Bureba we where guided by the current owner Marcelino. As we where interested, we told him about our project Ardbol. We explained him that we needed about 5 to 10 hectares of land. He replied that it was no problem, he knew many farmers in the area. Soon we got an image of the land area (See image below) from Marcelino without any explanation but it looked promising.  We assumed the black crosses where the pieces of land we could buy. When I checked it on the Spanish cadastral website some pieces where quite clear but some existed out of many small parts.  After the price negotiation we where anxiously waiting on which pieces of land we could buy. In august we got a large zipfile with new information. As Yasmin could not open it and we where on mobiles we needed to wait until we where behind a computer, which of course added on to the tension. Finally we could open it. In it where 64 files. 60 of each house and 4 for the land. See the next imag...