Belchite

Belchite
Municipality
San Martín de Tours church, in the old village of Belchite, now abandoned San Martín de Tours church, in the old village of Belchite, now abandoned
Coat of arms of Belchite Coat of arms
Belchite Location in Spain
Coordinates:
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Aragon
Province	Zaragoza
Comarca	Campo de Belchite
Judicial district	Zaragoza
Government
• Mayor	Angeles Ortiz Álvarez (PSOE)
Area
• Total	273.7 km2 (105.7 sq mi)
Elevation	440 m (1,440 ft)
Population (2009)
• Total	1,671
• Density	6.1/km2 (16/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Belchitanos
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	50130
Dialing code	976

Belchite is a municipality and village in the province of Zaragoza, Spain, about 40 km southeast of Zaragoza. It is the capital of Campo de Belchite comarca and is located in a plain surrounded by low hills, the highest of which is Lobo. The area around Belchite is one of the most arid places of Aragon.

In 1122 Alfonso the Battler founded the Confraternity of Belchite to defend the frontier.

On June 15, 1809, French and Spanish forces in the Peninsular War fought the Battle of María near Belchite.

Between August 24 and September 7, 1937, loyalist Spanish Republican and rebel General Franco's forces in the Spanish Civil War fought the Battle of Belchite in and around the town. After 1939 a new village of Belchite was built adjacent to the ruins of the old, which remain a ghost town as a memorial to the war.

The remains of the old village have been used as filming locations in films including Terry Gilliam's 1988 film The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth.

Places of interest

• The ruined village east of the rebuilt town.
• Santuario de Nuestra Señora del Pueyo, located a few km west of Belchite new town

External links

• Belchite visitor and historical information (English)