Across Europe, historic buildings like old banks and department stores are being revived through adaptive reuse—the practice of transforming existing structures for new purposes. Many are now hotels, blending original architecture with modern amenities to create unique stays that connect past and present. Nicknamed the “Titanic of the Mountains,” an ill-fated train station at Canfranc in Northern Spain is getting a new lease as a five-star hotel. Once a symbol of ambition and misfortune, the vast Beaux-Arts structure in the Spanish Pyrenees is now poised for revival—nearly a century after its grand opening.
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Canfranc International Railway Station In Northern Spain Opens As A Luxury Hotel After 100 Years
From abandoned railway to luxury hotel, Canfranc Station’s Beaux-Arts beauty has been revived by the Barceló Group in the scenic Pyrenees mountains

The Canfranc Estación is a striking Beaux-Arts landmark tucked into the Aragonese Pyrenees in northern Spain
Photo: Lozano Manzanedo/Wiki Commons
The Canfranc Estación is a striking Beaux-Arts landmark tucked into the Aragonese Pyrenees in northern Spain
Photo: Lozano Manzanedo/Wiki Commons

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