The Palace of Canto del Pico: Rumors of Looted Treasures

The Palace of Canto del Pico, situated in Torrelodones, was built between 1920 and 1922 for Abárzuza, Conde de las Almenas III. Carved into a granite mountain peak 1,011 meters high, it served as a monument to the past. The count, controversial in his methods, amassed a fortune here, but it is unproven that the treasures he gathered were once housed in Spanish cathedrals. Tragedy struck in 1922 when the Prime Minister, Antonio Maura, fell down a flight of steps and died. The palace was used as the headquarters for the Republican Army during the Spanish Civil War, and years of looting, vandalism, and a fire in 1998 that destroyed many artworks, led to a reduced classification in 2004. A hotel company bought it in 1988 but planning permission was denied in 2013 due to the building’s value as a cultural monument.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons