From tracks to tranquility: UK’s historic train station revived as hotel after dramatic transformation
Canfranc Station, a 100-year-old European rail travel icon, has been transformed into a luxurious hotel, Express UK reported.
The station has witnessed trains filled with gold that the Nazis stole from the Jews during the Second World War, with some estimates reaching 86 tonnes.
The station, which has now been transferred into a luxury hotel, is located in Aragon Valley, against the Pyrenees mountains.
The station, inaugurated in 1928 by King Alfonso XIII and the president of the French Republic, Gaston Doumergue, was an opulent rail hub with 365 windows and a 200-meter platform for trains departing from France or Spain.
It was closed in 1970 after bridge was damaged and left to decay for over 50 years.
However, the Barceló hotel chain acquired the property and restored the station to its former glory.
In conjunction with the Aragon regional government, the company converted the station into a 104-room hotel five star hotel, which opened last year.
It boasts a wellness area, including a pool and three restaurants and the station concourse is now the hotel reception.
The hotel also has a 200-seat conference centre, a railway museum, shops and a refuge for pilgrims making their way to Santiago de Compostela.
The hotel was designed by the architects Joaquín Magrazó and Fernando Used, who tried to preserve its original character.
