Hórreo

Common card · No. 384599

An hórreo (Galician: [ˈo.re.ʊ]) is a traditional agricultural building found throughout the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, designed to store and preserve food, especially grain, away from moisture and animals, keeping it in optimal condition. Built in stone, wood, or bricks, it is raised from the ground by pillars ending in flat staddle stones to prevent access by rodents, with ventilation allowed by the slits in its walls. Although they are most commonly found in Spain in Galicia and Asturias, they are also found in Léon, Zamora, Cantabria, the Basque Country, and Navarre. They are also found in Northern Portugal. Documented as early as the 9th century, hórreos were originally designed as storehouses for grain, meat, or agricultural products, although their use later expanded to include other purposes such as craft workshops, tool sheds, curing areas for sausages, meats, or cheeses, beehives or dovecotes, and even dwellings. The space beneath is also sometimes used as a stable or...

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