Spain has more abandoned sanatoriums than any other country in Europe — a direct consequence of the tuberculosis epidemic that devastated the country between the 1920s and 1950s and the National Anti-Tuberculosis Board that from 1943 filled every mountain and highland with hospitals to isolate the sick. When streptomycin made these centers obsolete in the 1950s-60s, they were left empty in the mountains: architecturally large-scale buildings, isolated, loaded with medical history and paranormal legends. The Agramonte Sanatorium in Moncayo, where "EVP recordings" are heard according to mystery shows and whose marble entrance contrasts with the collapsed ceilings; the Sierra Espuña Sanatorium in Murcia, on the Red List of Heritage; the La Barranca Sanatorium in Navacerrada, first converted into a psychiatric hospital before final abandonment. Discover the 5 best abandoned sanatoriums in Spain, selected from our Urbex Spain Map — 600+ GPS locations across Spain.
Why Sanatoriums Are the Most Atmospheric Urbex in Spain
Tuberculosis sanatoriums have a unique combination of factors that make them the most sought-after spots in Spanish urbex: the monumental scale of the buildings (designed for hundreds of patients), isolation in mountain or highland environments, the emotional weight of their medical history, and the speed with which nature reclaims them once closed. No other type of Spanish abandonment combines all these elements with the same intensity.
1. Agramonte Sanatorium – Moncayo, Zaragoza — Tuberculosis Sanatorium Built in 1934, Closed in 1978, Total Ruin, Marble Floor and EVP Recordings (Known Place)
The Agramonte Sanatorium in Moncayo is the most iconic and sought-after abandoned sanatorium in Spain — built in 1934 during the Second Republic, converted in 1938 into a tuberculosis sanatorium for women and children without resources, closed on September 30, 1978, when tuberculosis treatment was integrated into Social Security. In total ruin since then: collapsed roofs, corridors full of debris, and the luxurious marble floor entrance that brutally contrasts with the deterioration of the rest of the building. Famous for its alleged EVP recordings and featured several times on the show Cuarto Milenio. Private property — admire it from the outside; entering is dangerous. Verified standing in 2026. Documented by Idealista, EscapadaRural, and descubrir.com as the most well-known sanatorium in Spain.
🔗 Source: Idealista – The 9 Creepiest Abandoned Hospitals in Spain
2. Sierra Espuña Antituberculosis Sanatorium – Alhama de Murcia — Cornerstone in 1917, Inaugurated in 1935, Closed in 1962, Red List of Heritage (Known Location)
The Sierra Espuña Antituberculosis Sanatorium in Alhama de Murcia is one of the most imposing healthcare abandonments in Eastern Andalusia — cornerstone laid on July 8, 1917, designed by architect Pedro Cerdán, inaugurated on November 17, 1935 with 200 beds, declared obsolete due to streptomycin and closed in 1962. In the 1980s, there was an attempt to convert it into a hostel (only one wing was rehabilitated); surveillance was withdrawn in 1997. Today it is fenced off, with destroyed roofs, and included in the Red List of Heritage by Hispania Nostra as a building at serious risk. Its location in the heart of the Sierra Espuña Regional Park adds a scenic dimension to the abandonment that very few Spanish sanatoriums can match. Documented by Idealista as one of the 9 creepiest abandoned hospitals in Spain.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Must-See Abandoned Sites in Spain →
3. La Barranca Sanatorium – Navacerrada, Madrid — Built in 1941 as an Antituberculosis Hospital, Converted into Psychiatric Hospital, Closed in 1995, 8 Floors in Ruins (Known Location)
The La Barranca Sanatorium in Navacerrada is the most unsettling psychiatric abandonment in the Sierra de Guadarrama — built in 1941 for tuberculosis patients, converted into a psychiatric hospital when tuberculosis was controlled, and permanently closed in 1995. The eight-story building in the mountainous surroundings of Navacerrada is one of the largest and most cinematically intimidating among all abandoned healthcare heritage sites in Spain. Since its closure, legends of screams and whispering voices at night have fueled its reputation as a place of terror. The ruins in the mountainous environment create a deeply disturbing image. Documented by descubrir.com and Idealista as one of the six creepiest hospitals in Spain.
🔗 Source: Descubrir.com – Six Abandoned Hospitals That Are Scary in Spain
4. Abona Sanatorium – Arico, Tenerife — Leper Colony Designed in 1943 That Never Opened, 30-40 Buildings, Ghost Healthcare City in the Volcanic Landscape (Exclusively on Our Map)
The Abona Sanatorium in Arico (Tenerife) is one of the most surreal abandonments in Spain — designed in 1943 by architect José Enrique Marrero Regalado as a self-sufficient leper colony to isolate leprosy patients from the Canary Islands, the complex of 30-40 buildings never opened. A hospital built, equipped, and never used, which the volcanic landscape of Tenerife reclaimed over decades without anyone ever inhabiting it. The ruined buildings among the lava landscape and the Atlantic in the background create the most specifically Canarian healthcare atmosphere and the most photogenically unique urbex on the island. GPS coordinates available on our Urbex Spain Map.
5. Berta Hospital (Alfaguara) – Granada — Built in 1923 by a Philanthropist, Furniture Donated by Queen Victoria Eugenie, Consolidated in 2021 for Filming (Known Location)
The Berta Hospital in the Sierra de Alfaguara in Granada is the sanatorium with the most unique history in Spain — built in 1923 at the behest of businesswoman and philanthropist Berta Wilhelmi at 1,400 meters altitude, with furniture donated by Queen Victoria Eugenie (president of the Red Cross), surgery room, rest gallery, and running water. Abandoned after the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936, structurally consolidated in 2021 by the city council, and currently included in the Film in Granada location catalog for filming movies, series, and commercials. Note: access as a film location implies periodic use — the building retains its abandoned atmosphere but may be occupied during shoots. Documented by descubrir.com as one of the six most chilling hospitals in Spain.
🔗 Source: Descubrir.com – Six Abandoned Hospitals That Are Scary in Spain
Safety Tips
- Asbestos: all sanatoriums built before 1980 contain asbestos in ceilings, pipes, and cladding — FFP2 mask mandatory in any indoor space without exception
- Collapsed floors and ceilings: sanatoriums with destroyed roofs have compromised floors on all levels — never step on an area that sounds hollow or enter under beams showing signs of failure
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and share your location
The urbex code: "Respect decay. It tells the story."
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Why are there so many abandoned sanatoriums in Spain?
The National Anti-Tuberculosis Board created in 1943 built sanatoriums across Spain with a dual purpose: to treat patients and isolate them from the healthy population. When streptomycin made tuberculosis curable from 1949-1952, these huge buildings in isolated locations fell out of use within a few years. Too large to easily repurpose and too remote for residential use, they have been progressively abandoned for decades.
Are abandoned sanatoriums dangerous?
Yes — abandoned sanatoriums combine three specific risks that other types of abandonment don’t have in the same concentration: asbestos in all facilities built before 1980, floors and structures compromised by decades without maintenance, and, in higher altitude sites, access conditions that can change rapidly due to weather. Never explore a sanatorium without an FFP2 mask, thick-soled shoes, a powerful flashlight, and at least one other person.
What is the Abona Sanatorium and why did it never open?
The Abona Sanatorium was designed in 1943 as a self-sufficient leper colony for leprosy patients in the Canary Islands — a complex of 30-40 buildings including a hospital, staff housing, self-supply facilities, and a chapel. It never opened because antibiotic treatments for leprosy dramatically improved in the 1940s-50s, making mass isolation unnecessary. The complex was built but left empty, and Tenerife’s volcanic landscape reclaimed it over decades.
🎯 Summary
The best abandoned sanatoriums in Spain range from Agramonte with its marble floors and psychophonies in Moncayo to the leper colony of Abona in the volcanic landscape of Tenerife that never housed any patients. Each holds a story of illness, isolation, and neglect that makes urban exploration of healthcare sites the most emotionally charged experience in all of Spanish urban exploration.
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