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Silos of Villacañas

Villacañas, La Mancha de Toledo, Toledo

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Silos of Villacañas

Monument · Villacañas, La Mancha de Toledo, Toledo

Silos of Villacañas

Dwellings excavated underground, declared a Conjunto de Interés Histórico (a Spanish heritage designation for a historic ensemble) and considered a unique architectural ensemble in Europe. Documented since the 17th century, they were used as regular housing until the mid-20th century, favoured by limestone ground that kept an agreeable temperature despite the region's extreme summers. Excavation of the silo traditionally began with a couple's engagement, when they would buy a plot of one celemín — 470 square metres in Villacañas — to open up bedrooms, a kitchen and a stable with no structural support other than the earth itself, the access and walls coated with lime to ease the heat. In 1950 there were 1,700 silos recorded in the town; today just over a dozen remain accessible.

Photo: Rodelar (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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