Corbera d'Ebre

   
   - darkometer rating: 6 -
 
A small town in the Terra Alta region of Catalonia, northern Spain, that was completely destroyed in the Battle of the Ebro in the Spanish Civil War. A new village was constructed at the foot of the hill that the ruins of the old town still occupy. This ruined ghost town has been left as a memorial site (cf. Belchite). In addition there are two museum exhibitions in town and more war-related sites in the immediate vicinity. It is also the base for the Consorci Memorial dels Espais de la Batalla de l'Ebre.  
More background info: for general background see under Ebro and Spanish Civil War.
   
   
What there is to see: This small town offers the widest range of any in the region with regard to the Spanish Civil War – these sites are given their own separate entries here:
  
  
  
  
  
  
Corbera d'Ebre is also the home of the Centre de Documentació de la Batalla de l'Ebre next to the “115 Days” exhibition and the base of the Consorci Memorial dels Espais de la Batalla de l'Ebre (see Ebro).
  
The fact that this place is so steeped in its war history can also be seen by the wall paintings on the local school/kindergarten: you do not often see such places adorned with naïve depictions of tanks!
  
  
Location: in the heart of the Terra Alta region, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain, just three miles (4.5 km) up the road to the north-east of the region's capital Gandesa.
  
Google Maps locator: [41.0775, 0.4779]
  
  
Access and costs: easy enough by car, quite affordable.
  
Details: Corbera d'Ebre is right on the N-420 main road between Gandesa and Mòra d'Ebre. Parking is easy enough to find and the town as such is completely walkable (except Cota 402, probably – and you may also want to drive up the hill to get closer to the ruined old town).
  
In theory you can also get here by train (to Móra la Nova, Ascó or Flix) and onwards by regional bus (check the batallaebre website for links), but since you'll need a car for any explorations outside the towns anyway, it makes more sense to drive to Corbera d'Ebre yourself too.
  
There are no hotels for accommodation (at best private rooms) in Corbera itself, but nearby places such as Gandesa or La Fatarella can be used as bases for touring.
  
As for food & drink, if you need a lunch break, there's a simple but pretty good, cheap-and-cheerful restaurant on the southern edge of town. The three of us had a tasty and filling meal there for a mere 30 euros or so, including wine (except for me, as the driver, I hasten to add).
  
  
Time required: a good few hours to cover all four of the places listed here, basically about half a day.
  
  
Combinations with other dark destinations: Gandesa is just a few minutes' drive down the road, and La Fatarella is also within fairly easy reach.
  
For more see under Ebro in general.
  
  
Combinations with non-dark destinations: Corbera d'Ebre doesn’t have much to offer in terms of tourist attractions other than the war-related sights and a few wineries – but see under Ebro in general.