The Eerie, Graffiti-Covered Abandoned Swimming Pools of Barcelona

The Eerie Abandoned Swimming Pools of Barcelona

The Eerie Abandoned Swimming Pools of Barcelona

Atlas Obscura
Your Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders
Oct. 3 2013 8:57 AM

The Eerie Abandoned Swimming Pools of Barcelona

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On sweltering summer days in the 1980s, Catalonians would flock to the Castellnou pools for good, old-fashioned, splash-and-giggle fun. The complex, located in the province of Barcelona, featured two giant pools, mettle-testing high-dive platforms, mini golf, and a cafeteria.

One year, damaging rumors began to spread among the guests of Castellnou pools and made their way into nearby towns. The gossip alleged that the pools were not safe, and in fact were downright deadly. These stories were backed up by tales of several youngsters leaping from the top of the diving platform to their gory deaths, but no one could properly identify these children that supposedly perished. Despite the lack of evidence that these deaths even took place, the word of mouth brought on the demise of this once bustling recreation goliath.

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After decades of abandonment and neglect, the pools are now a magnet for graffiti artists, skateboarders, bikers, independent film makers, and ghost hunters. (Some parapsychologists believe the place is teeming with supernatural activity, regardless of the unrelenting lack of true evidence that anyone ever died there.)

Cursed or no, the ruins are tragically beautiful and decrepit, a dilapidated memory of a more innocent time.

Perilous pools: