Spain has the most varied and impressive industrial urbex in southern Europe — a century of accelerated industrialization followed by an equally rapid reconversion in the 1980s left a heritage of abandoned factories ranging from the monumental cement factories of the Mediterranean to the blast furnaces of the Left Bank of the Nervión and the most extraordinarily abandoned nuclear facility in Western Europe. The Buñol Cement Factory, with its silos visible from the Valencia-Madrid highway and demolition pending; the Nervión Blast Furnaces, where Spain’s steel production ceased in a few years; the Lemoiz Nuclear Power Plant, which never produced a kilowatt. Discover the 5 best abandoned factories in Spain, selected from our Urbex Spain Map — 600+ GPS locations across Spain.
Why Spanish Industrial Urbex Is the Best in Southern Europe
Spanish industrialization was late but intense — concentrated in the Basque Country, Catalonia, and some Mediterranean areas during the 19th century and the first third of the 20th century, and spread to the rest of the territory during the Francoist developmental boom of the 1960s. The industrial reconversion of the 1980s closed in a few years what had taken a century to build, leaving large-scale buildings of notable architectural quality abandoned. The result is a unique abandoned industrial heritage in southern Europe.
1. Old Buñol Cement Factory – Buñol, Valencia — 1917 Cement Factory, Monumental Silos Visible from the Highway, Demolition Pending, Urgent Visit (Known Place)
The old Buñol Cement Factory is the icon of Valencian industrial urbex and one of the most urgently visitable industrial abandonments in Spain — a cement factory from 1917 whose monumental silos are visible from the Valencia-Madrid highway with a scale unmatched by any other abandonment in the Spanish Mediterranean. When the new cement factory was built a few meters ahead, the old one became obsolete and was progressively abandoned, becoming the setting for clandestine parties including the legendary 96-hour New Year's Eve rave of 2009. The Buñol City Council has processed the demolition — urgent visit before it disappears. Documented by Abandoned Spain as the most iconic industrial abandonment in Valencia.
🔗 Source: Abandoned Spain – The Old Cement Factory of Buñol Valencia
2. Left Bank Blast Furnaces – Bizkaia — 20th Century Steel Infrastructure, Brick Chimneys, Closed in the 1980s, Spain’s Steel (Known Location)
The industrial remains of the Left Bank of the Nervión in Bizkaia are the most important abandoned industrial heritage in northern Spain — the blast furnaces, casting bridges, production halls, and red brick chimneys of Barakaldo, Sestao, and Santurce that for a century produced the steel that built Spain. The industrial reconversion of the 1980s closed them within a few years; what remains are monumental-scale structures of exceptional architectural quality cataloged by the Basque Industry Museum but largely unused and unmaintained. The most specifically Basque industrial urbex and the most photogenically brutal in all of northern Spain.
🔗 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 Silos, Camp de Tarragona Surroundings (Known Location)
The La Pobla de Mafumet Cement Factory on the outskirts of Tarragona is the most accessible monumental cement plant in the Catalan Mediterranean — its huge halls and rusted structures have been abandoned for decades, creating a post-apocalyptic industrial landscape just a few kilometers from the Roman baths of Tarragona. The combination of the scale of the facility, the Mediterranean light filtering through the rusted structures, and the contrast with the agricultural surroundings of the Camp de Tarragona makes this cement plant one of the most photogenic industrial spots in all of Catalonia. Documented by the urbex community as a reference for industrial abandonment in the province of Tarragona.
🔗 Source: Abandoned Spain – Urbex Spain Community
4. Lemoiz Nuclear Power Plant – Lemoiz, Bizkaia — Nuclear Industrial Facility Never Started, the Most Politically Charged Industrial Abandonment in Western Europe (Known Location — Outdoor Only)
The Lemoiz Nuclear Power Plant is not a typical factory — it is unique in Western Europe: a nearly completed nuclear industrial facility that never produced energy. Built by Iberdrola between 1972 and the 1980s, its startup was blocked by the combination of the Basque anti-nuclear movement and ETA attacks that killed two project engineers; the 1983 nuclear moratorium left it permanently halted. The unfinished reactors, turbines in their foundations, and industrial buildings on the Cantabrian cliff form the most photogenically extraordinary and historically unique abandoned industrial complex in the Basque Country. Outdoor only: private property of Iberdrola with surveillance. Documented by Onda Vasca as the most emblematic abandonment in Euskadi.
5. Harinera Grandes Molinos Vascos – Zorroza, Bilbao — 1925 Industrial Building in Basque Regionalist Style, Cultural Heritage Site, Collapsed Roof (Exclusively on Our Map)
The old Harinera Grandes Molinos Vascos in Zorroza (Bilbao) is the most architecturally unique industrial abandonment in the Basque Country — built in 1925 by architect Federico de Ugalde y Echevarría in Basque regionalist style, declared a Cultural Heritage Site in 2009, but with a collapsed roof and severe deterioration due to lack of active use. The Basque regionalist style facade sharply contrasts with the building’s interior condition. A legally protected heritage site that has not found a viable rehabilitation project and continues to deteriorate despite its Cultural Heritage status. GPS coordinates available on our Urbex Spain Map.
Safety Tips
- Industrial asbestos: all industrial facilities built before 1990 contain asbestos — FFP2 mask required in any indoor space without exception; friable asbestos powder is invisible and deadly
- Concrete structures: reinforced concrete over 40 years old without maintenance may have invisible internal corrosion — never enter under beams or slabs with rust stains or longitudinal cracks
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and share your location
The urbex code: "Leave everything as you found it — the next explorer deserves the same experience."
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most famous abandoned factory in Spain?
The Buñol Cement Plant in Valencia — the icon of Valencian industrial urbex with demolition pending. For northern industrial urbex, the remains of the Altos Hornos on the Left Bank of the Nervión are the most emblematic steel heritage of the Basque Country. The Lemoiz Nuclear Power Plant is the most unique and historically charged industrial abandonment in all of Spain.
What was the Spanish industrial reconversion of the 1980s?
The industrial reconversion of the 1980s was the massive closure of Spanish heavy industries — steelmaking, shipyards, coal mining, textiles — that couldn’t compete with Asian production costs or European technological standards. The process was especially traumatic in the Basque Country, Asturias, and Catalonia, where heavy industry had been the economic engine for a century. The result was massive unemployment and a heritage of abandoned industrial facilities unmatched in southern Europe.
Why is the Buñol cement plant pending demolition?
The old Buñol cement plant dates back to 1917 and was abandoned when a new facility was built a few meters away. After decades of abandonment and informal use (including clandestine events), the Buñol City Council initiated demolition for safety and urban planning reasons. The exact demolition date is not set, but the process is underway — urgent visit recommended.
🎯 Summary
The best abandoned factories in Spain range from the Buñol Cement Plant, pending demolition, to the Altos Hornos del Nervión where Spain’s steel was forged for a century, and the Lemoiz Nuclear Power Plant that never started a reactor. Each tells a different story of Spanish industrialism and its collapse. Find them all — and 600 more — on our Urbex Spain Map.
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