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Dutch Wijnand Boon always declared himself an absolute fan of Spain, so he did not think twice when, a year ago, he saw an advertisement on RTL4 television in his country to participate in a reality show whose objective was none other than to revitalize Polopos , a mountain town of barely 60 inhabitants (52 adults and two children to be exact) located in the heart of Granada's Alpujarra and destined to disappear little by little if no one could remedy it like so many other corners of the now famous empty Spain.

The cash prize of The Spanish people: Polopos (or Het Spaanse Dorp: Polopos in Dutch), title of the program, was 20,000 euros , with which the winners had to carry out a regeneration project of the place, immersed in a bucolic landscape on the southern slope of the Sierra de la Contraviesa , which runs parallel to Sierra Nevada.

Dutch audience record

Not surprisingly, in each of the 44 episodes of the reality show , which broke audience records in the Netherlands, the contestants (10 couples in total: one of them formed by Wijnand and his girl, Thysa Zevenbergen) had to propose to the City Council and their neighbors the possibilities of revival they saw in the village.

The rest of the couples participating in the Dutch reality show.

Wijnand and Thysa's idea was the winner: a rural house (also included in the prize) that would double as an artist's residence, their dream. Not surprisingly, she is a multifaceted woman who still writes children's books that illustrates novels or decorates interiors. The occasion could not paint better, so the couple decided to stay and live in Polopos with their dog Laia ("yes, like the one from Star Wars ", he points out) as "honorary citizens", another of the awards.

House 3, an artistic residence

It was Wijnand's dream since he first set foot in Spain 10 years ago, when he came on foot from his country to walk the Camino de Santiago . A couple of years later he did not hesitate to repeat the feat in a motorhome . When he arrived at the Alpujarra, he was impressed. "This area is beautiful; it has nature, mountains, the sea ... and a privileged microclimate all year round. It is the ideal place", sums up the masculine part of the Dutch tandem.

Overview of the town of Polopos, in the Alpujarra.

So the contest was designed for them. After winning it, they opened their artistic residence under the name of Casa 3, as it was known in the program, shortly after finishing it, in July of last year. Since then, its success has not stopped growing, receiving travelers from all over, especially the Dutch. And not only their accommodation has been benefited by tourism, but the entire town, the objective of the reality. "The program was very famous in my country and many compatriots have come to know Polopos", add the owners of Casa 3.

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Until the Covid-19 arrived, ending the couple's illusions. "We have carried out painting, literature , illustration, cooking workshops ... in addition to organizing hiking routes, cultural trips to Granada and photographic tours of the area, but the coronavirus has stopped everything," says Wijnand, who was achieving his purpose. Little by little: turning Polopos into the artistic center of the Costa Tropical of Granada, with galleries, workshops and murals peeking out of the corners, and placing it on the tourist map of the region, while gradually increasing the population.

He is very concerned about the impact that the health crisis may have on disappearing rural Spain in many parts of the country. "We win the house as a prize and we don't have to pay rent, but I don't know what will happen to all the people who have their restaurants, bars, shops or hotels closed, " both point out.

Concern for tourism in rural Spain

Not surprisingly, Wijnand and Thysa were not the only contestants who stayed to live in Polopos. Four other couples also did it, developing proposals for dog schools, supermarkets and cultural spaces . Everyone is aware of the strength that tourism has in Spain, with 14.6% of GDP , being the sector that contributes the most to the national economy.

One of the artistic murals in the town of Polopos.

For this reason, Wijnand asks the State, the competent authorities and the general public not to forget that empty Spain that is trying to re-emerge and to support rural tourism as soon as de-escalation allows it. "If tourism were closed until Christmas, as it was said, that would mean that you would not start earning money until Easter next year. If your company still exists ...", he says.

At the moment, he is optimistic and hopes to be able to repeat shortly the star project of last year, the Pop-up art walk Polopos , a tour in which seven galleries and 30 artists participated, who opened their workshops to the public and attracted more than 700 visitors from all over Spain.

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