Storage looking wooden structures along the camino france

[Damien Park]

Walking the last 50km or so of the Camino (palas de Rei to Santiago), I seldom came across these wooden storage looking structures and wondered what they are used for.

Anyone has any idea what they are called and what purpose they serve to the locals?

My best guess would be a storage of some sort, but why would it be built right on top of their fences (where burglars can access it so freely).

-Damien

 

[mspath]

Walking the last 50km or so of the Camino (palas de Rei to Santiago), I seldom came across these wooden storage looking structures and wondered what they are used for.

Anyone has any idea what they are called and what purpose they serve to the locals?

My best guess would be a storage of some sort, but why would it be built right on top of their fences (where burglars can access it so freely).

-Damien

They are known as horreos and often used to store and dry corn for animal feed.

Read and see more re these local Galician landmarks in this earlier Forum thread

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/galicia-and-its-horreos.24273/

and in

http://www.galiciaguide.com/Landmarks.html

 

[SYates]

Yes and nobody would steal corn for animals ;-) Apart of the mice, hence the big horizontal stone plates on the pillars, they prevent the mice from climbing up. Buen Camino, SY

 

[Bala]

Thee are known as horreos and often used to store and dry corn for animal feed.

Read and see more re these local Galician landmarks in this earlier Forum thread

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/galicia-and-its-horreos.24273/

and in

http://www.galiciaguide.com/Landmarks.html

Interesting stuff!

 

[Silverbarista]

We always looked and wondered what they were. We weren't far of the mark. Beautiful lifestyle in northern Spain

 

[Bala]

I will definitely be on the lookout for them when I walk next spring.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I didn't check the other threads so this link might be mentioned in one of them but this webpage will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about horreos (including how the words horreo and horror are related.) Lots of pictures too.
http://madillcamino2014.blogspot.com/2015/10/placeholder-appendix-b.html

 

[Pruden]

You would find them in Galicia and Asturias.
There are two kind of them Hórreos are the big square one's and Paneras the small ones rectangular shaped.
They are good for keeping dry an safe ,grains like corn , walnut, onions , potatoes ,dry grass ,and other products out of reach for animals and specially mices.
Their little and vertical windows allows the wind to blow through them taking away humidity.

 

[mcopeland]

In English - corn crib.

 

[TerryB]

In English - corn crib.

In "English, English" a granary! Old ones were built on "staddles" - stones shaped like overgrown mushrooms, often all that is left because the wooden structures have disappeared over the years.
A good article on the English ones is here:-
http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/granaries/granaries.htm
If you walk the Norte or the Primitivo you will see a distinct change between the hórreos in Asturias and those in Galicia.

Blessings
Tio Tel

 

[Blastomatic]

I thought they might've been giant beehives at first! Then I realized they were only present in farms with cornfields. Much lovelier than the corn cribs of my native Pennsylvania, all chicken-wire and old grey wood.

 

[Icacos]

I will definitely be on the lookout for them when I walk next spring.

They're hard to miss! You will also be in cow country, so you'll need to watch where you walk. Buen Camino.

 

[SYates]

Every single village in Galicia has one, mostly more, of them, they are hard to miss!
Buen Camino, SY

 

[Bala]

They're hard to miss! You will also be in cow country, so you'll need to watch where you walk. Buen Camino.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

They're hard to miss! You will also be in cow country, so you'll need to watch where you walk. Buen Camino.

I devoted an entire blog entry to my growing ability to distinguish the droppings of cows, goats, dogs, and pilgrims.

 

[Icacos]

I devoted an entire blog entry to my growing ability to distinguish the droppings of cows, goats, dogs, and pilgrims.

Impressive!

 

[alaskadiver]

Walking the last 50km or so of the Camino (palas de Rei to Santiago), I seldom came across these wooden storage looking structures and wondered what they are used for.

Anyone has any idea what they are called and what purpose they serve to the locals?

My best guess would be a storage of some sort, but why would it be built right on top of their fences (where burglars can access it so freely).

-Damien

You "seldom" came across them? Or did you mean that you often did?

 

[Anemone del Camino]

In the tiny, but oh so glamorous in summer time, village of Combarro on the Portuguese, the horreos are placed in a manner so that when the tide rises, the boats came come in from the sea with their catch, and put it away in the horreos. Such a cute little village.

 

[Joan M.]

Walking the last 50km or so of the Camino (palas de Rei to Santiago), I seldom came across these wooden storage looking structures and wondered what they are used for.

Anyone has any idea what they are called and what purpose they serve to the locals?

My best guess would be a storage of some sort, but why would it be built right on top of their fences (where burglars can access it so freely).

-Damien

They are called Hórreos and are used for storing dried corn for animal feed. I suspect but don't really know that they are up high to catch the breezes and dry the corn. I think that some of them now are purely decorative.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

I was asked about these by some English touregrinas speedwalking from Sarria in September.

They thought they were for storing coffins (because many have a cross on top) . . . .

Honest!

 

[Kanga]

Mostly for drying corn but I've also seen them used for curing cheese. And storing all kinds of things.

 

[JillGat]

I like how some of them are made to look like little churches. They obviously have cultural importance or at least charm, because some are in the yards of fancy houses that are clearly not storing corn.