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Sad Hill Cemetery — Santo Domingo de Silos

Rows of weathered wooden grave crosses in a green meadow at the Sad Hill Cemetery film set near Santo Domingo de Silos in Burgos, Spain, with pine-covered hills behind.
Artwork FileSanto Domingo de Silos, Spain

Sad Hill Cemetery

StandingJul 2026

Built by Spanish soldiers to Carlo Simi’s design, for Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly · 1966 · Mirandilla valley, Santo Domingo de Silos, Burgos

Photo: Trastolillo / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), taken 11 May 2019, as published in Street Art Utopia; full photo.

Sad Hill is the fake cemetery built in 1966 in the hills of Burgos for the final three-way duel of Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Spanish soldiers laid out more than 5,000 graves; after filming the set was abandoned and nature covered it. Since October 2015 the Sad Hill Cultural Association and volunteers have dug it out and rebuilt it. Source Source Source Checked

Standing Jul 2026: El Debate (16 July 2026) lists the cemetery, recovered by volunteers, on the film’s location route, and Vinetur (1 July 2026) announced a staged visit at the cemetery on Sunday 26 July 2026. The newest dated photo we found is from October 2023. Source Source Source Reported

More photos

Hundreds of wooden grave markers in rows across a dry meadow at Sad Hill Cemetery in April 2022, with wooded hills behind
2022 Rows of rebuilt grave markersPhoto: Alaila68 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

💡 4 things to know

  1. Built by the armyAccording to Amusing Planet, several hundred Spanish soldiers built the cemetery in the summer of 1966 for a small daily wage; Diario de León reports about 250 soldiers in three days. Source Source Reported
  2. Forgotten for 49 yearsThe Sad Hill Cultural Association says the whole place was left behind after the shoot and nature covered every tomb for 49 years. Source Reported
  3. Name a graveThe restoration was partly crowdfunded: people paid €15 to have a name, nickname or initials put on one of the crosses, Amusing Planet reports. Source Reported
  4. Sixty years onFor the film's 60th anniversary, a staged visit recreating the duel to Morricone's music was planned at Sad Hill for 26 July 2026, El Debate reported. Source Reported

📍 Where it is

Valle de Mirandilla, between Contreras and Santo Domingo de Silos, Burgos Source Source Checked

Open in Maps

Opens a map at the cemetery in the Mirandilla valley, between Contreras and Santo Domingo de Silos.

🗓️ Sightings

  1. 201911 Feb

    Photo of the restored cemetery by santiago lopez-pastor

  2. 202214 Apr

    View of Sad Hill Cemetery

  3. 20239 Oct

    Photo of the cemetery by Francesc Fort

  4. 2024Sep

    Reuters: restored set draws thousands of visitors

  5. 20251 Nov

    Diario de León feature on the cemetery with no dead

  6. 202616 Jul

    60th anniversary: duel re-enactment announced for 26 July 2026

Green stamps mark dated photographs (the date given on the photo’s page); amber stamps mark records, events and reports. Publication dates are not photo dates.

🗞️ In the sources

Diario de León1 November 2025

El cementerio 'de cine' que tiene más de 5.000 tumbas pero ningún difunto enterrado

“Es un cementerio sin difuntos enterrados.”

It is a cemetery with no dead buried in it.

Read the source →

Vinetur1 July 2026

Sad Hill conmemora seis décadas del rodaje que convirtió Burgos en escenario del western

“La segunda tendrá lugar el domingo 26 en el cementerio de Sad Hill, en el valle de Mirandilla.”

The second (staged visit) takes place on Sunday the 26th at Sad Hill cemetery in the Mirandilla valley.

Read the source →

✅ The facts

Original name
Cementerio de Sad Hill Source Checked
Built for
Final duel of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) Source Checked
Designer
Carlo Simi Source Reported
Builders
Spanish soldiers: several hundred (Amusing Planet) or about 250 in three days (Diario de León); we lean to Diario de León, the local paper, which gives the more specific figure Source Source Conflicting
Graves
More than 5,000, all empty Source Checked
Size
About 300 metres across Source Reported
Restoration
Dug out by the Sad Hill Cultural Association from October 2015 Source Checked
Documentary
Sad Hill Unearthed (2017) by Guillermo de Oliveira Source Checked
Heritage status
BIC listing proposed; not confirmed as granted Source Unconfirmed
Builder
The Spanish Army Source Source Source Checked

🔗 Related

All sources & image credits

Last checked: 11 November 2026 · How we verify art