Canfranc

With the words "There are no Pyrenees", King Alfonso XIII of Spain officially opened a rail link across the central Pyrenees between Paris and Madrid, a line which took 70 years to plan and construct.

The most important relic of this former marvel is the border station at Canfranc, which once greeted passengers from France after they had passed through the 7,875 meter Somport tunnel. The station building, a stylistic mixture of classicism and Art Nouveau, extends 600 meters behind the south portal. It was once advertised to tourists as being, "Bigger than the Titanic!"

The Spanish government refused to bring its own rail gauge up to European standards, so passengers and goods had to change trains at Canfranc at great expense. The line soon became unprofitable and, after only eight years, the Somport tunnel was closed during the Spanish Civil War.

Canfranc was reopened, though its second act was brief and tumultuous. The railroad was used to transport tungsten ore, important for the production of weapons, to the German Reich. In return, up to 90 tons of gold were transported to Spain as payment. The tunnel then served as an escape route, first for Jews persecuted by the Nazis – including Marc Chagall and Max Ernst – and later for Nazis themselves as they fled Europe for South America.

In 1970, a fully-loaded train derailed on the French side of the line, causing a bridge to collapse and turning Canfranc into an inaccessible ghost station for a time. The restoration of the Canfrac station has been underway since 2006, with resumption of train services planned for 2025.

Canfranc

hotel BelvédÈre