The small town of Albarracin in Spain attracts visitors with its medieval architecture, while Peniscola, located on the east coast, featured in Game Of Thrones.
Spain has plenty of towns with unique features, but there’s one that has a particularly unexpected detail.
Lanjaron can be found in the province of Granada, by the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
The municipality has a population of around 3,600.
While it might look like a quaint and picturesque area, the town has one bizarre characteristic – dying there on weekends is ‘banned’.
That’s been the case since 1999, when the mayor at the time, Jose Rubio, declared the new rule.
It was in response to the town’s cemetery being too overcrowded for souls to get decent eternal rest.
At the time, the area’s 4,000 residents were advised to remain alive while municipal officials shopped for land to house a new graveyard.
Lanjaron can be found in the province of Granada, by the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains
While it might look like a quaint and picturesque area, the town has one bizarre characteristic – dying there on weekends is ‘banned’. Pictured: Lanjaron Castle
The Spanish mayor issued an edict ordering people ‘to take utmost care of their health so they do not die until town hall takes the necessary steps to acquire land suitable for our deceased to rest in glory’.
It reportedly added: ‘It is hereby forbidden to die in Lanjaron.’
However, it’s unclear if a new burial site was ever found.
According to Deseret News, Mayor Rubio claimed at the time that locals took the order well.
‘Everyone has taken the edict with a sense of humour and a strong desire to comply with it,’ he reportedly said.
The area is known for other notable characteristics too, including its ‘medicinal’ waters and spa resort.
Lanjoran produces renowned natural mineral water that comes from the Salud spring, which has been bottled up and sold for centuries.
That’s been the case since 1999, when the mayor at the time, Jose Rubio, declared the new rule
Lanjoran isn’t the only place to ‘ban’ death. In 2008, the mayor of the French village of Sarpourenx issued a decree banning residents from dying in his territory unless they owned a spot in the overcrowded cemetery.
Mayor Gerard Lalanne warned that there would be a ‘severe punishment’ for offenders.
He told AFP that he decided to take the radical measure in protest against a legal ruling preventing him from enlarging the burial ground in the village of 260 people.
There is no word on whether Lalanne’s wishes were ever granted.
