Lobios
Lobios (in Galician; Spanish: Lovios) is a municipality in the province of Ourense in the Galicia region of north-west Spain, bordering Portugal to the south. The estimated population in 2021 was 1,672.[3]
Lobios | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
 Seal | |
 Location in Galicia | |
  Lobios Location in Spain | |
| Coordinates: 41°52′31″N 08°05′04″W | |
| Country |  Spain |
| Autonomous community |  Galicia |
| Province |  Ourense |
| Comarca | A Baixa Limia |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | María del Carmen Yáñez Salgado (People's Party of Galicia) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 68.9 km2 (26.6 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 387 m (1,270 ft) |
| Population (2018)[2] | |
| • Total | 1,732 |
| • Density | 25/km2 (65/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal Code | 32643 |
| INE municipality code | 32042 |
Drowned villages
The village of Aceredo (gl:Aceredo (solagado)) lies within the municipality, but in 1992 it, along with the villages of gl:Buscalque, O Vao, A Reloeira and gl:Lantemil, which together had 250 residents,[4] was drowned by the reservoir behind the Alto Lindoso Dam downstream on the Limia River in Portugal.[5] On 15 August 1991 the land was compulsorily acquired by Portuguese company EDP (Electricidade de Portugal), based on an old deal between Spanish dictator General Franco and former Prime Minister of Portugal Salazar. Residents of all of the villages, supported by left-leaning political parties, immediately began protests against the building of the dam,[4] including a 10-day hunger strike. In the end, with no option but to move, the residents of Aceredo (with 70 houses and 120 citizens) relocated bodies of their deceased loved ones, and an historic church was moved to a different town. Some moved to nearby villages, while others moved far away.[5]
In 2015 a documentary film about the drowning of Aceredo and Buscalque was released, called Os Días Afogados (The Drowned Days).[5][6]
After prolonged drought in the region in early 2022, the water in the reservoir receded dramatically back to 15% of its capacity, and the "ghost village" once more became visible on dry land.[7] The derelict village became a tourist attraction and made news across the world.[8][9][10] As of February 2022, stone buildings are still visible, as well as debris that once made up roofs, doors and beams, and there is a drinking fountain which streams with water, crates of old beer bottles next to an old cafe, and a rusty old car.[7][11][10]
The mayor of Lobios, Maria del Carmen Yanez, said in February 2022 that Portugal's power utility EDP, which manages the reservoir, had not managed the use of the water well. On 1 February 2022, after a particularly dry January, the Portuguese Government ordered that Alto Lindoso, along with five other dams, to almost cease using water to generate electricity and for irrigating crops.[8] Experts have said that climate change caused the extreme drought.[9][12] Spain recorded only 35 per cent of its average rainfall during the same period over the years 1981 to 2010, and there had been no rain at all in 2022 up until mid-February.[8]
See also
- Ludeiros, a village in the municipality of Lobios
References
- "IGE. Táboas". www.ige.eu (in Galician). Retrieved 7 October 2017.
- Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
- "Lobios (Ourense, Galicia, Spain)". City population. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- Pontevedra, Silvia R. (14 December 2012). "Memoria de un pueblo ahogado". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- Johnson, Cara (15 February 2022). "After A Drought, This Decades-Old Spanish Ghost Village Has Reemerged From The Bottom Of A Reservoir". All That's Interesting. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- The Drowned Days at IMDb
- "Ghost village emerges in Spain as drought empties reservoir". The Guardian. 12 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- "A ghost village emerges from the cracked earth as drought empties Spanish reservoir". CNN Travel. Reuters. 16 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- Tripathi, Sumedha (14 February 2022). "Underground Aceredo Village In Spain Is Visible After 30 Years Due To Drought". India Times. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- Butterfield, Michelle (18 February 2022). "Incredible photos show Spanish ghost village emerge after 30 years underwater". Global News. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- "Week in pictures: 12–18 February 2022". BBC News. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- Horton, Ben Anthony (17 February 2022). "Spanish 'ghost village' re-emerges after 30 years underwater". Euronews. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
