Isolated Sanatorio de La Barranca in the Sierra de Madrid

In the mid-20th century, the National Anti-Tuberculosis Patronage constructed numerous sanatoriums isolated from urban centers across Spain to combat the devastating pandemics that afflicted the civilian population, such as tuberculosis, leprosy, polio, fibrosis, and lung cancer. In the Sierra de Guadarrama, several of these sanatoriums were built, among them Sanatorio de La Barranca, whose construction dates back to 1941. It was the only one still standing until the mid-1990s, when it functioned as a Specialized Attention Center for Mentally Disabled Individuals (CAEMP), which provided residential care to men with mental disabilities of varying degrees, ranging from profound and severe to moderate and mild.

However, as the use of penicillin and streptomycin became more widespread, the need for sanatoriums began to decline. Sanatorio de La Barranca eventually fell into disuse and was demolished in March 2024.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons