Casa montañesa is a form of traditional construction of La Montaña in the communities of

Cantabria Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...

, east of

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensiv ...

and northern Castile and León in northern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It should not be confused with casona montañesa, which differs due to its grander style and incorporation of other features. This housing style developed from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries and becoming widely seen by the end of the nineteenth century, when it was popularized by the Spanish architect Leonardo Rucabado. It was widely seen across Cantabria.

Features

This type of traditional country house is the most characteristic of Cantabria. It highlights the south façade, open to the sun, with the other walls made of thick rough

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

. The corners are usually of ashlars with re-enclosure at all the

span Span may refer to: Science, technology and engineering * Span (unit), the width of a human hand * Span (engineering), a section between two intermediate supports * Wingspan, the distance between the wingtips of a bird or aircraft * Sorbitan ester ...

s. The entrance is through a gate of one or two arcs, sufficient to allow passage of a cart into an entryway, leading to the kitchen (although in some houses the kitchen is on the upper level), stables, wine cellar, pantry and stairs to the upper floor. In some areas, there are passageways to enter the upper floor from the outside. The upper floor contains the bedrooms, two of which face the balcony. The interior walls originally are usually made of wood, although in recent times have been replaced by brick. The sun area is the most typical element of this construction. It is a

balcony A balcony (from it, balcone, "scaffold") is a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor. Types The traditional Maltese balcony ...

run with wood

rail Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' ( ...

protected from wind and rain by the overhanging roof and the projecting sidewalls. The walls are usually topped by wooden trim pieces rough but of classic profiles, serving to support beams of the edge as securing the

canes Cane or caning may refer to: *Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking *Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance *White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are b ...

that form the overhang. The wood is usually painted dark brown.

References

Bibliography

* Leopoldo Torres Balbás, ''The common houses of Spain'', Madrid 1946 * E. Ortiz de la Torre, ''Artistic La Montaña'' Santander 1929 * Fernando García Mercadal, ''The common house in Spain'', Espasa Calpe, 1930 * José Luis García Grinda, ''Popular architecture of Burgos'', 1988 {{DEFAULTSORT:Casa montanesa House types Vernacular architecture Construction in Europe Housing in Spain