Europe’s largest abandoned mall full of Coca Cola and Christmas decorations
An eerie abandoned mall which is touted to be the largest in Europe was abandoned almost 20 years after it opened. Inaugurated in November 1994, Vilafranca Centro was a bold project designed by the Obriverca group for the city centre of Vila Franca de Xira in Portugal.
However, due to exorbitant merchant rents and financial challenges, the mall shuttered its doors just 19 years later in 2013. Boasting four floors, 180 stores, three cinemas, and two car parks, it stands as the third-largest shopping centre in the country. Yet, it has now become the largest of its kind, left abandoned and forgotten for more than five years.
Dusty carts of Coca-Cola bottles lie scattered on the floor. The video shared by a team of YouTubers, Explomo on Reddit reveals an underground area resembling a bowling alley and a café, leading the way to other floors of the mall. Inside, the atmosphere is eerie, devoid of light, with discarded flyers and vouchers hinting at the mall’s operational past.
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A vacant store, once home to the luxurious clothing brand Mango, stands empty, lacking mannequins or any clothing items. Behind the scenes, the shop’s backstage area showcases a series of model photographs associated with the clothing brand.
Christmas decorations, now covered in dust, indicate the mall’s preparation or celebration during past festive seasons. The recording suggests an impression of more than five floors within the mall. As the YouTubers venture into each store, cardboard boxes, bill receipts, dysfunctional security cameras, and an unsettling odour greet them.
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Inside an optical store, eye-testing equipment sits on a desk, covered with papers—a sign of a hasty departure. It was reported that the mall’s closure happened suddenly, without warning, leaving belongings behind in disarray.
A home decor store reveals an assortment of decoration materials, sketchbooks, and paperwork, scattered without order. The administrative office, with tables and chairs upended, is filled with black files. A high-quality printer remains on a desk, accompanied by several coffee mugs—a silent testament to the abrupt abandonment of the place.
Since its closure, it has continued to be a controversial issue in the city, with frequent criticisms of the abandoned and degraded “mess” in the center of Vila Franca, and some PSD (Social Democratic Party) mayors even called for its demolition if no solution were to appear.
Several robberies have occurred in the complex and the city council, for reasons of public safety, had to pay to close off the old lateral entrances and to fence off the property.
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