Page 63 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Northern Spain

GALICIA  61

Regional Galician Architecture

Traditional buildings that reflect Galicia’s own vernacular style give the region its unique
charm. In A Coruña the glass galerías (see p58) are a common sight, but there are also
distinctive, narrow, two-storey fishermen’s cottages, which can be seen in Pontevedra.
Visitors can experience the mansions known as pazos, some of which date back to the
Middle Ages, as many have been converted into hotels or exclusive paradores (state-
operated hotels). Beyond the larger towns, there are many reminders of times gone by:
grain is still stored in stone granaries (hórreos) used as far back as Roman times; ancient
stone crosses stand by the roadsides; and many villages feature pallozas – oval stone
buildings with thatched roofs that survive as the oldest type of Galician architecture.

Pallozas are among the oldest structures
This hórreo (granary) in Carnota, dating from 1760 and built in Europe. Dating from Celtic times,
extending 35 m (126 ft), is one of the largest in Galicia. these houses have thick walls
Hórreos were built on stone legs to protect the grain and thatched roofs. The
from damp and pests. The cross is a decorative motif. inhabitants used to divide
the space into living
quarters, animal
stables and a
food store.

The distinctive
cruceiros (stone
crosses) can be found
throughout Galicia, at
places of worship, next
to cemetery gates, by
the Stations of the
Cross (as in A Guarda),
Pazos are traditional stone mansions that form an and on roadsides
attractive feature of this picturesque region. Nowadays where accidents
many of them have been converted into hotels. have occurred.

Many pilgrimage churches were built These narrow two-storey houses with glass-enclosed
in Galicia, as various strands of the Road balconies are common in fishing villages. Their func-
to Santiago pass through the region. The tional plan creates living space on the upper floor, with
churches give the region a special charm. storage for fishing equipment on the ground floor.
The Torre de Hércules lighthouse in A Coruña

060-061__Feat_cat_.indd 61 13/09/16 5:29 pm