Valdegrulla is a deserted village in the municipality of El Burgo de Osma-Ciudad de Osma, located in the province of Soria, Castilla y León. It sits on a gentle hill surrounded by cereal fields and poplar groves, near a seasonal stream. The site is open to the four winds, which makes it extremely cold during the winter months.
In the 1787 census, the place was known as Val de Grulla and had 166 inhabitants. By the mid-19th century, the village had 20 houses and its residents worked in agriculture, primarily growing cereals and legumes, as well as keeping goats, cattle, and sheep. It was eventually integrated into the municipality of Osma.
The village began to see its population decline starting in the 1970s, even though all homes had electricity and telephones. However, at that time, there was no running water in the houses. By 1981, only 15 inhabitants remained in the main core of the village. The harshness of the winters and the precarious nature of the adobe construction eventually led to the final family leaving in 1997.
There are about 30 buildings of one and two stories, almost all of them built in tapial except for the church. This type of construction is common in the Soria plateau. Over time, the village has suffered from looting and dismantling, as the climate quickly destroyed the adobe houses left behind by the departing residents.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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