Tarragona has the most mystical urbex in Catalonia — a province where abandoned villages in the Prades mountains accumulate decades of paranormal legends, the Templar lordships of Montmell have been silent for centuries, and the cement factories on the industrial outskirts create post-apocalyptic landscapes just 10 minutes from the Roman baths. La Mussara atop the Serra de Prades, abandoned in the 1960s and wrapped in tales of disappearances; Marmellar in Baix Penedès, with its church and castle dominating the hill from the silence of the postwar period. Discover the 5 best abandoned places in Tarragona, selected from our Urbex Spain Map — 600+ GPS locations across Spain.
Why Tarragona Is an Exceptional Urbex Destination
The province of Tarragona combines the rural heritage of abandoned villages in the inland mountain ranges — Prades, Montmell, Terra Alta — with the industrial heritage of factories in the Camp de Tarragona and the war heritage of the Battle of the Ebro in Terra Alta. The diversity of types in a relatively compact territory makes Tarragona one of the provinces with the greatest variety of abandonment in all of Catalonia.
1. La Mussara – Vilaplana, Serra de Prades, Tarragona — Village Abandoned in the 1960s, Disappearance Legends, Panoramic Views of the Camp de Tarragona (Known Place)
La Mussara in the Prades mountains is the most iconic depopulated core in the province of Tarragona — abandoned in the 1960s due to the lack of basic services such as water and electricity, it is now a favorite destination for those seeking exceptional panoramic views or interested in the supposed paranormal phenomena that local legends have been fueling for decades. In 1995, a man claimed to have disappeared for three hours without remembering anything near the village; since then, La Mussara has become a reference for mystery tourism in Catalonia. The ruined church, stone houses with collapsed roofs, and views of the Camp de Tarragona from the top of the mountain create one of the most atmospheric abandonments in the province. Documented by the Diari de Tarragona as the most iconic ghost town in the province.
🔗 Source: Diari de Tarragona – The Four Ghost Towns of Tarragona
2. Marmellar – Baix Penedès, Tarragona — Postwar Abandoned Village, Church of Sant Miquel and Templar Castle on the Hill, Dark Legends (Known Location)
Marmellar in Baix Penedès is known as one of the darkest points in the Tarragona region — the tragic events that surrounded the village after its abandonment in the postwar period, the ruins of the church of Sant Miquel and the Marmellar castle that still silently dominate the hill, and the vineyards surrounding the site in a protected natural environment of great beauty. The village has historical references of Templar origin; its abandonment in the mid-20th century left it frozen in time with medieval architecture still standing over the wine landscape of Baix Penedès. Documented by the Diari de Tarragona as one of the four must-see ghost towns in the province.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Must-See Abandoned Sites in Spain →
3. La Pobla de Mafumet Cement Factory – Camp de Tarragona — Industrial Facility Abandoned for Decades, Monumental Warehouses, Rusted Structures (Known Location)
The La Pobla de Mafumet Cement Factory on the outskirts of Tarragona is a huge industrial facility that has been abandoned for decades — its enormous warehouses and rusted structures create a post-apocalyptic industrial landscape just a few kilometers from the Roman baths of Tarragona. The industrial architecture of the cement plant, with its silos, kilns, and production halls in progressive decay, offers the kind of space urbex photographers seek: monumental scale, light filtering through rusted structures, and the contrast between the past grandeur of the facility and the silence of present abandonment. Documented as one of the most important industrial spots in the Camp de Tarragona.
🔗 Source: Abandoned Spain – Urbex Spain Community
4. Selma – Serra del Montmell, Tarragona — Lordship of Templar Origin, Abandoned in 1954, Geographic Isolation, Medieval Ruined Architecture (Exclusively on Our Map)
Selma in the Montmell mountain range is an ancient lordship of Templar origin — for centuries it was under the control of the military orders of the Temple and Saint John, until geographic isolation and lack of basic services forced its final abandonment in 1954. What remains of Selma is medieval ruined architecture in a Mediterranean forest setting: stone houses, the church with its bell gable still standing, and the remains of the military orders’ facilities in the silence of Montmell. A medieval-specific abandonment that no ordinary rural exodus village can match. GPS coordinates available on our Urbex Spain Map.
5. Escornalbou Mining Colony – Riudecanyes, Tarragona — Coal Mining Settlement, Empty Miners' Houses, Disused Facilities, Mediterranean Forest (Off the Radar — Only on Our Map)
The Escornalbou Mining Colony near Riudecanyes was a mining settlement housing workers from the local coal mines — empty miners' houses, disused extraction facilities, and the Mediterranean forest reclaiming every corner of the site in the landscape of the Serra de l'Argentera. The mining colonies of Tarragona are the province’s most unknown industrial heritage; tourist and urbex attention focuses on medieval villages and Roman sites, leaving the mining colonies forgotten, making them the most exclusive and least photographed spots in the area. Find it on our map — with access rating and condition report.
Safety Tips
- La Mussara: access only on foot from the Urbanization of La Talaia — hiking boots required; on days of dense fog visibility can be zero and the path difficult to follow
- Cement factory: concrete structures with possible asbestos — wear an FFP2 mask in enclosed spaces and never explore under slabs that look like they might collapse
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and share your location
The urbex code: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most famous abandoned place in Tarragona?
La Mussara in the Prades mountains — the village abandoned in the 1960s with panoramic views of Camp de Tarragona and decades of paranormal legends including the story of a man who claimed to disappear for three hours in 1995. It is the most visited mystery tourism destination in the province and the most iconic abandoned village in Tarragona.
What is the connection between the Templars and the abandoned villages of Tarragona?
The military orders of the Temple and Saint John controlled extensive territories in the province of Tarragona during the 12th-14th centuries, after the Christian Reconquest of lands that had been the frontier with Al-Andalus. Selma in Montmell was one of their lordships; other castles and priories of the military orders dot the province. The end of the military orders in the 14th century and the later 19th-century disentailment emptied many of these places; geographic isolation did the rest.
Why are there so many abandoned villages in the mountains of Tarragona?
The villages in the Prades mountains, Montmell, and Terra Alta were the most affected by rural exodus in the 1950s-60s because they were the most isolated and had the least to offer their inhabitants in terms of basic services — running water, electricity, paved roads, schools, doctors. Without these services, young families emigrated to Tarragona, Reus, or Barcelona within a generation, leaving the oldest villages empty in just 10-15 years.
🎯 Summary
Discover the abandoned places in Tarragona: from La Mussara with its legends of disappearances atop the Serra de Prades to the Templar lordship of Selma in Montmell and the monumental cement factory of Camp de Tarragona. Each of these 5 abandoned sites in Tarragona captures a different layer of the province that has the Roman sea, medieval mountains, and, quietly, the most mysterious urbex in Catalonia.
Urbex Map Spain
- ✓ 600+ GPS locations across Spain
- ✓ Exclusive locations not found anywhere else
- ✓ Instant access after purchase
- ✓ Free updates forever
€29.99
Explore the 600+ Locations →
