Canfranc Train Station

Canfranc Train Station is iconic in Aragón, with a splendid past and a future full of hope.

Surprisingly elegant, it was inaugurated in 1928 by King Alfonso XIII, and is a very beautiful example of industrial architecture from that age. Nowadays, guided tours show the visitor its lasting charm and thrilling stories that happened inside his walls during the 2nd World War.

A few kilometres from French border, Canfranc train station stands proud. When it started up, it became the second largest in Europe.

Its history dates back to 1853, when a group of Aragonese people in relation with the Royal Economical Society of Country’s Friends proposed building a railway to France via Canfranc. An engineer from Alicante, Fernando Ramírez Dampierre, designed an amazing 241 metres long Modernist building, with 150 gates and nearly 350 windows.

The smart building, located among the impressive mountains in the Pyrenees, provided hotel, casino, customs office, etc. to travelers. It became decisive during IIWW as a crossing point for gold, stolen art works and Jewish refugees on the run.

After the rail way service to France was closed down in 1970, decades of abandonment arrived, but nowadays a reopening seems likely. Thanks to guided tours, set up by the Tourist Office in Canfranc, and other projects, you can have a look at this monument and its history, while enjoying the spectacular natural surroundings.

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