The Ghost Town of La Mussara in Spain where People Disappear into the Fog

The Abandoned Town in La Mussara

Northern Spain has some fantastic hiking routes and a wonderful nature to experience. One of these hikes will take you through the abandoned town of La Mussara in the Prades Mountains. It is also a mysterious town at 995 meters above sea level that is said to have swallowed up the people that used to live there.

**La Mussara Abandoned Town:** The ghost town found in the La Mussara mountains are now mostly in ruins as the last residents moved ages ago. Here from one of the walls from the former church.//Source//Jordi Gili/Wikimedia

La Mussara Mountain in Tarragona is a mysterious place tucked away in the mountains of Catalonia. The mountain was named after the abandoned ghost town that was deserted in 1959 in the range.

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Why was the town abandoned though? The place has been settled perhaps since Saracen times, perhaps even as far back as the bronze age. In 1857, there were 323 people living there, far from the rest of the world, tending to their farms. Some say it was because of the insects that destroyed the local vineyards and the inhabitants livelihood that made people leave. It was also far from drinking water and the rest of society. There are those that claim something strange is the reason for its abandonment though. According to some, people left because they knew the town was doomed.

The Rocks That Takes People Away – La Piedra del 6

People also claim this is a place where strange things like time jumps happen and where people just disappear without a trace.
According to local legend, there is a giant rock in the village called La Piedra del 6 next to a farmhouse.

Historically, Muslim armies area said to have marched through Mussara, a name derived from the term meaning “the place to march.” As these forces made their way toward the valley below, they routinely paused at the Sixth Stone. It was believed that this stone possessed magical properties capable of aiding them in overcoming their adversaries in forthcoming battles.

It is said if you jump over La Piedra del 6 you will be transported to another dimension and lost forever in the worst case. Some claim that you will get transported to another town, some call it Vila del Sis, some claim it is another place in the USA you get transported to.

The Missing People in the Fog

Over the years several people have gone missing from La Mussara after visiting and haven’t left a trace. The writer Lorenzo Fernandez Bueno claims in one of his books that features the abandoned town, that the number of disappearances is much higher in these parts than in the rest of the country.

What happened to those taken away is unknown but the legend coming from the locals, says there is a mysterious fog that covers the countryside around the town, like opening a gateway to another dimension or world. The hikers and visitors have according to this been swallowed and transported because of this fog.

**The Strange Fog:** One of the things people claim is that it suddenly appears a strange fog were people just disappears into and never comes back.

This is something often called the Peluda, a meteorological phenomenon happening through January and February were a thick and white fog wells over the mountain range between Tossal Gros, Miramar and Torre del Petrol mountain. Could it be a supernatural fog as the legends claim as well?

The Disappearance of Enrique Martinez Ortiz

One example of a mysterious disappearance was the case of Enrique Marinez Ortiz, a 37-year old man who disappeared in the area on October 16 in 1991. He was with a group of friends picking mushrooms and walked past where the TV-antennas are. Some sources claim that the group had passed the rock to investigate, and his friend, Jorge, had talked about the magical and mysterious rumors of it all and all but one had touched the stone. How true that is, is not sure though, as they had been to this area many times before and knew it well.

**The Disappearance of Enrique:** After he disappeared and the strange details of the case were revealed, the area saw an influx of paranormal researchers and those interested in the occult.

They were walking and talking 300 meters from the television repeater when one of the friends asked Enrique a question. When he didn’t answer, the friend turned and saw he had disappeared, leaving only a wicker basket with a mushroom inside.

They searched for days and even brought in 200 soldiers from Los Castillejos to completely sweep the era. They didn’t find a single trace. It has ever since joined the mystery of the town and the surrounding area. As the years went by and no answers have been given, there have come up many legends about this case. Did they all touch the stone? Did it have something to do with the strange fog?

Months later, in January 1992, Jorge, who was one of Enrique’s friends that was present when he disappeared, went to the Tarragona courts. He wanted to speak to the judge and was very worried and upset as he had experienced something he couldn’t explain.

The three friends who had accompanied Enrique when he disappeared had returned to La Mussara. Around midnight, they heard a noise coming from the church of Sant Salvador. They thought it was horse hooves but unsure so they went to investigate.

Once inside they claimed to have seen seven figures in robes wandering around the temple. Suddenly, they disappeared into thin air. How much of it was true, and who they could have been, has also remained a mystery.

The Strange Interference With Electrical Equipment

There is also something weird going on about the electric stuff in the area. And with the case with Enrique who disappeared close to the TV Antennas, people think it is something more.

Because of this, the abandoned town also attracts UFO seekers to peer to the sky in search of the strange object that is rumored to be seen there.

There are also talks about some electromagnetic interferences that have been measured in the abandoned town.

The Bells Ringing from an Empty Belltower

In La Mussara there are around eight buildings still standing. One of them is the remains of the church of San Salvador from the 12th century. The old church has a bell tower from 1859. According to people they claim that they hear the church bell ring, even if the church has been empty for decades.

**The Haunted Belltower**: Esglèsia de Sant Salvador a La Mussara is the ruins of the church and according to legends, it is said the sound of the bell ringing can be heard in the night..//Source/Wikimedia

People have also said they have heard strange voices coming from the church. They have also said to have seen ghostly figures, perhaps trying to get back from beyond the veil.

The Foggy Haunted Road to La Mussara

Also the road to the town is said to be a haunted stretch. It always seems to be covered in the same fog found in the village surroundings and the wind is constantly howling.

This old road T-704 leads to the ruins of the town of La Mussara now abandoned and looks like the perfect setting for a horror movie and is considered one of the most haunted roads in Spain.

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Also on the roads it is said something strange is happening. Once a German engineer drove through the place in 1995 and claimed to have disappeared for three hours. He reappeared in an unknown place and didn’t know what had happened.

The Legends of La Mussara

The place has had rumors of terrible things for centuries and it is as if the town is cursed. Some say it was just bad luck that made the town deserted. But why would this town be cursed?

There are those that claim this place was a center of satanic rituals and is a cursed place where misfortune happens, and many claim it was just a quaint mountain town where the inhabitants were drawn to the bigger cities.

Now, the only life there is in the Refugi La Mussara, a bunkhouse for hikers as well as supernatural seekers that was built in the 80s. Here you can take refuge from the thick fog that comes down the mountain and swallows you whole. And who knows, perhaps you can hear the faint ringing of the bells from your bunk bed late at night?