The Old Town of Belchite, from a filming set for The Walking Dead to 38,000 visitors in 2024

The Old Town of Belchite has been visited by more than 38,000 people in 2024. The figures reveal the interest that this space continues to generate as a symbol of history, although they are slightly lower than in 2023, when they exceeded 43,000: “It must be taken into account that the Old Town was completely closed to visitors for several weeks due to the filming of “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon”, which coincided with a particularly busy long weekend such as All Saints’ Day, where themed visits are also usually organised around the mystery that could not be scheduled in 2024,” explains the mayor, Carmelo Pérez.

This Hollywood blockbuster will be released in 2025 and contains scenes filmed both in the Old Village and in the El Planerón ornithological reserve, as well as in several regions of Teruel. For the City Council, this is great news that will continue to attract tourists and encourage them “to continue working to have a varied and sustainable tourist offer, respectful of heritage, focused on the message of ‘Memory and Peace’ and adapted to different types of public”, adds the councillor.

In fact, Belchite received the Prize for the Enhancement of Historical Heritage at the last edition of Fitur, awarded by the association of Magical Towns of Spain. Since then, conservation work has continued, the latest of which was the consolidation, this December, of the apse of the Church of San Martín with the aim of making it safer for visitors. This work has involved an investment of 180,000 euros, 15,000 of which were subsidised by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Government of Aragon.

Also with the idea of ​​extending the routes in mind, the III Archaeological Campus led by archaeologist Alfonso Fanjul took place in the summer, with the participation of ten international students. For a month, cleaning work was carried out to make the area of ​​the old Jewish quarter accessible, revealing the more than probable existence of a medieval synagogue. A discovery that will be definitively confirmed after a forthcoming excavation campaign.

Meanwhile, visits have continued both during the day (focusing on historical events) and at night (linked to the mystery). Also EducaBelchite, an educational program aimed at schoolchildren between 6 and 18 years old that seeks to have students learn on the ground what happened in the Old Village, inviting them to reflect on the past through emotions, empathy and conflict resolution.

A NATIVITY SCENE INSPIRED BY THE OLD VILLAGE

In addition, now, and exclusively during Christmas, the focus of interest also shifts to the Ethnological Museum, which houses “A Nativity Scene in Times Past” . This creation by Julián Palacín from Alagon covers 200 square metres of surface area with small-scale recreations of different buildings in the Old Town: from the convent of San Rafael to the Clock Tower or the Arco de la Villa.

It is, in fact, the only nativity scene in Aragon inspired by the Old Town of Belchite and continues to expand with new structures and buildings every year. Since 2018 it has been part of the Aragon Nativity Scene Route and can still be visited until January 6 (c/Ronda Zaragoza, s/n, free entry).