(CNN) --
With the snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees as a backdrop, in the depths of the Aragon Valley, stands an imposing and beautiful building.
Welcome to the Canfranc Station, which used to be an abandoned railway station and has now been converted into a luxurious hotel.
Canfranc Station opened its doors as an opulent railway hub in 1928, with an inauguration ceremony attended by both the King of Spain and the President of the French Republic;
the hotel is located in Spain, but not far from the French border.
During World War II, Canfranc witnessed arrests, espionage, and gold trafficking.
By 1970, the station had closed its doors.
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The station lay dormant for decades until work began to transform the still-beautiful but long-neglected building into a hotel managed by the Barceló Hotel Group.
After years of rehabilitation, the Canfranc station received its first guests in January 2023.
Railway and history buffs officially have a new destination on their bucket list, while Canfranc mayor Fernando Sánchez Morales says locals have welcomed the opening "with enthusiasm".
"We are very pleased to have the station alive and bright again," Sánchez Morales tells CNN Travel.
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New chapter
A "before" photograph of the Canfranc station ticket hall, taken in 2005. Credit: Rob Cousins/Alamy Stock Photo
Even as a ruin, Canfranc drew visitors: photographers flocked to the station, designed by Spanish architect Fernando Ramírez de Dampierre, eager to capture a forgotten piece of European rail history.
Those who find beauty in derelict buildings might suggest that the hotel was more attractive in this eerie and dilapidated state.
But Canfranc station also looks spectacular after its revitalization and is already attracting guests.
The architect Thomas O'Hare first came across the Canfranc station by chance a couple of years ago.
When he discovered that the abandoned rail hub was to be converted into a hotel, O'Hare vowed to return when it was finished.
A recent photograph of the now converted ticket hall that serves as the hotel lobby.
Credit: Barceló Hotels & Resorts
Today, O'Hare, who lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is vacationing at the hotel with his family.
"The exterior is luxurious and certainly gives the impression of traveling back in time," O'Hare tells CNN Travel.
The O'Hares are spending the days skiing at Candanchú, one of the oldest ski resorts in Spain, which is a neighbor to the hotel.
tumultuous history
This image shows the original opening of the Canfranc station in July 1928. Credit: adoc-photos/Corbis/Getty Images
Due to its border location, ownership of the Canfranc station was divided between France and Spain.
It is currently owned by the Government of Aragon, which has collaborated in the hotel's regeneration process with the Barceló Hotel Group.
The Canfranc station played an active role during World War II, witnessing moments of hope and despair.
Before the capture of the municipality of Canfranc by the Nazis, the station acted as a gate to freedom for some European Jews persecuted by the German regime.
Ramón Javier Campo Fraile, writer behind the heraldo.es/canfranc project, which won the National Digital Journalism Award in 2003, spoke to CNN Travel in 2017 about the history of Canfranc.
"In the first years of the world war, from 1940 to 1942, thousands of Jews fled by train from Canfranc to Lisbon and the United States," he recounted.
Among them, according to Campo Fraile, were the painters Max Ernst and Marc Chagall.
The American artist Josephine Baker also transited through the station.
The spies traveled by train from Canfranc to join the anti-Nazi French Resistance and pass messages to allied countries.
"It was also used by allies, who were passing information to France and Spain through a spy network," Mayor Sánchez Morales said in 2017.
However, the Nazis seized the municipality of Canfranc in November 1942 and held control until June 1944.
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The escape through Canfranc became more difficult and the station became the place of many arrests.
Canfranc was the only Spanish municipality occupied by the Nazis, and the regime made its presence felt.
Campo Fraile recounts that more than 300 people were arrested when they fled to Lisbon, Portugal and sent to prisons throughout Spain.
"The Germans controlled the gold [and tungsten] traffic and also lowered the French flag."
Rumors of Nazi gold being trafficked through the Canfranc station have been rampant for years, but were only confirmed in 2000.
Campo Fraile told CNN Travel that a local bus driver found evidence revealing that "86 tons of Nazi gold passed through the station between 1942 and 1943."
"We have found more documents in European and American archives that prove that more than 100 tons of gold passed through the area," he said.
A thorough renovation
The renovated interior is meant to evoke the 1920s, while referencing the natural landscape that surrounds the hotel.
Credit: Barceló Hotels & Resorts
The new version of the Canfranc Station aims to recognize and preserve the history of the station, while initiating a new chapter for the station and the region.
María Bellosta, director of the Canfranc hotel, explains to CNN Travel that "special attention has been paid to every detail" of the renovation project.
It was important, Bellosta adds, to avoid "losing an iota of his personality and enormous legacy."
This "enormous legacy" entails "an enormous challenge", in the words of Bellosta.
The 1928 building had to be adapted to the standards and luxuries of a modern hotel, without losing its historical character.
"We wanted to keep its DNA, its international railway spirit," says Bellosta.
After decades of neglect, the station received its first guests in January 2023. Credit: Barceló Hotels & Resorts
The interior design of the hotel, the work of the Madrid design studio ILMIODESIGN, aims to evoke the twenties through the fabrics, decoration and uniforms of the staff.
The design also includes specific nods to what Bellosta calls "Canfranc's historical, cultural and social heritage, and the role it has played during the 20th century."
The colors and tones evoke the natural and mountainous landscape that surrounds the hotel.
The hotel has 104 rooms, including four suites.
There is a wellness area, with a pool and three restaurants.
What used to be the station hall is now the hotel reception.
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Hotel guest Thomas O'Hare praises the "elegant" transformation of the station concourse into the hotel reception.
"The rooms, bar and restaurant follow this nice modern interior feel with a strong nod to its history of rail travel," he says.
O'Hare's main objection is the additional cost of 15 euros per guest to use the hotel pool.
In addition, the Canfranc's impressive location on the mountainside means that it does not have much land.
He also suggests that the hotel could benefit from an exhibition on the history of the Canfranc station, but adds that the staff are very knowledgeable on the subject.
The hotel has 104 rooms, including four suites.
Credit: Barceló Hotels & Resorts
New chapter
When Canfranc was a ruin, it was a magnet for professional and amateur photographers who wanted to capture the mood of the haunting ruin.
Bellosta suggests that after the restoration these photographers "will not only have the privilege of immortalizing it with their cameras after the impressive restoration, but also to stay, and enjoy a good meal."
For his part, Mayor Sánchez Morales says he is "very happy" with how "the history of the station and the railway environment" are evoked throughout the hotel.
"We hope it is the consolidation of Canfranc as a tourist destination," he says.