The municipality of La Torre d´en Doménech wants to revitalise the village and reopen the closed local school and bar. They intend to do this before the summer. As such, it requires new residents, who in exchange for their settlement in the village, get free housing and job.
One of the advantages that should not be underestimated is that the village, located in the region of Valencia. Not only that, but it is also completely corona-free. However, the campaign is looking further ahead, offering the newly welcomed residents free housing and management of the local bar. To do so, you have to be willing to make a new life. By taking on the challenge of settling in an almost sleeping village with only 160 inhabitants.
School and bar in the village open again
The campaign of the municipality is to attract a young family, with children attending school. As a result, the goal is to reopen the school in the village. This had to close eight years ago because there were only three students. Mayor Héctor Prats also hopes to find people willing to run the local bar that closed at the beginning of this year. As a reward, free living space is offered by the municipality.
Previous initiatives of abandoned villages have been successful
With the campaign, La Torre d´en Doménech follows the example of similar initiatives previously taken by other abandoned villages in Spain. Such as that of the village of Zucaina, also in the province of Castellón, which succeeded in reopening the school last year after the arrival of new residents with school-aged children. The city council received more than 1,000 applications from interested families within one day. Even then it was about a free home and job guarantee.
Only three school-aged children now live in La Torre d´en Doménech. Only three more children need to join in order to reopen the village school. The school is part of an umbrella rural school to which the locations Vilanova d´Alcolea, Benlloc and La Pobla Tornesa are also connected. Only the school of La Torre d´en Doménech had to close due to a shortage of students.
The economy of La Torre d´en Doménech is mainly based on agriculture and livestock, but just like in the other villages of empty Spain, tourists also make a living. The village is less than 15 minute´s drive from the Mediterranean Sea, and less than half an hour´s drive from the city of Valencia.
La Torre d´en Doménech is corona free
Not only does the village have a very favourable location, but only one resident has tested positive for the corona virus in the past year. Before the summer, the municipality hopes to have completed the selection process among interested families. To register your interest, you can email the following; info@latorrededdomened.es available for registration
