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Living in Emptied Spain is sometimes difficult. Doing it without a bar in the village is even more so. This is the situation in which a small town in the province of Guadalajara called Irueste finds itself. Its city council has made a nationwide appeal for "a family or couple" who wants to run this prized establishment. And with more than succulent conditions that have caught the attention of many.

On the one hand, those interested will have to pay "a symbolic price" of ten euros as a rental of premises. As for the costs of supplies, they will only have to pay a small part, since "70% of the electricity in the bar is paid by the City Council", says the mayor, Pedro del Olmo. To which he adds "that it is not silly, because it involves a large part of the municipal budget".

In addition, the same consistory offers a newly conditioned house for those interested. Annexed to the town hall, it has two bedrooms, a bathroom and a living room with an integrated kitchen, as well as a pellet stove "to be bought by the tenants". But the heating fee will be practically the only payment they will have to make: the rent will be free since it is also owned by the local administration. At the end of the day, this possibility is presented since the aim is "to grow in the town", explains Del Olmo.

All these advantages for the future inhabitants of the town of La Alcurria are no coincidence, as they lie in the importance of the offer that the mayor does not hesitate to claim: "It is not a bar per se, but it is a social centre and is enabled as a meeting and meeting point". In fact, he tells EL MUNDO that "the Association of Friends of Irueste organizes some events [...] where between 100 and 120 people can get together."

However, this is not the most common. The mayor says that during the week "five or eight people" can get together in the bar where while "they have a coffee or a beer in the afternoons, they play cards, talk...". And he does not forget to warn that "winters are for survival, not to make money", while he concludes that "this is the Emptied and Deep Spain".

For this reason, they consider that the ideal candidate is "a family or a couple, so that one can take care of the bar and the other can dedicate themselves to other jobs". Even telematically, since it is estimated that in February Irueste will have fiber optics in operation, "although without it it also works well," says Del Olmo.

No waiter, but in good faith

While waiting for the perfect candidate to run the premises, the City Council has had no choice but to pitch in. "We were left without a bar and the municipal corporation had to roll up our sleeves," explains the mayor, who now also "buys the drinks."

At the moment they are open for an hour and a half in the afternoons during the week, says Del Olmo, while lamenting that on weekends "it gets complicated because more people come." Faced with this situation, they have had to establish "a series of rules based on good faith" in which it is established that "when they come in groups of more than two, one of them is responsible for serving and charging".

"At the moment there is no lack of money from the drawer," Del Olmo boasts, while assuring that his neighbors are "very grateful" for being able to continue enjoying their 'social nucleus'.

Avalanche of candidates

Del Olmo said that the proposal was made a week ago, however, it did not bear the fruits that were expected. So they decided to make the nationwide appeal: "We are overwhelmed now."

With almost 600 emails in the mailbox of the Irueste City Council, its mayor predicts that in the month of January the bar "will be able to start flying on its own", although first they will have to "make an assessment of the profiles to select the one that best suits", a process that is possible to begin in "a couple of days".

In fact, he says that "they will take it easy" because they want that when the concession is made "it will be for a long time" and not make mistakes as on other occasions. The mayor insists that they are looking for "people who really want to live in a small town like this where 80% of the houses are empty."

And he insists on this issue, since "there have been quite a few people who come very comfortably, but the second winter can no longer stand it". Because although it is a privileged place in summer – "at 20:30 p.m. you take out the cardigan" – "in winter you get up and it's difficult to see people," laments Del Olmo.

Still, the bar offers an opportunity for anyone looking for tranquility, or even a fresh start, without the need for exorbitant outlays like those seen in big cities.

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