La Lastra: Industrial Heritage, Architecture and Cultural Landscape

La Lastra encompasses themes from industrial history, architectural heritage, geology and traditional farming. The history of the area stretches from the hydroelectric power station and the buildings associated with Saltos del Nansa to the parish church of San Juan Bautista and El Palacio. The rock slabs overhanging the area and the shared pastures of Tudanca, Santotís and La Lastra add nature and rural land use to this picture. In La Lastra, industrial history, architecture and landscape stand side by side.

Hydropower and Industrial History

The La Lastra hydroelectric power station began operating in 1947, using machinery made in Spain. Its hydraulic system includes a water supply that is reused and then channelled into the La Lastra balancing reservoir. The station’s specific features therefore include both its historic start of operations and the origin of its machinery, as well as the way water flows through the system.

Church and Historic Buildings

The church of San Juan Bautista has a single nave with side chapels between the buttresses. The choir has a polygonal end, with the sacristy behind it. Its plain façade features a single-arched bell gable and a straight portal between fluted pilasters. Inside, the church is covered by rib vaults of varying designs. Its origins are difficult to date precisely and are placed between the 18th and 19th centuries. The building is attributed to the workshop of Val de San Vicente.

The former school in the town centre stands next to the parish church and dates from the 18th century. El Palacio, a manor house at the upper end of La Lastra, has semicircular arches on the ground floor and a wooden balcony on its main façade. It belonged to Captain General D. Gregorio García de la Cuesta, who was governor of the Council of Castile.

Buildings of Saltos del Nansa

Casa-Dirección in La Lastra is located on the CA-281 road. It was the first building erected by Saltos del Nansa and served the company as an office and warehouse. It was also used as a residential building or apartment accommodation, as well as a garage with storage space.

The barracks of La Lastra (Tudanca) are located at the edge of the CA-281. They served as accommodation for convicts who worked on building the Saltos del Nansa infrastructure. Today, the barracks are abandoned or used for other purposes; some original elements remain. The two types of building shed light on different aspects of the company’s operations: Casa-Dirección was primarily used for offices, storage and other purposes, while the barracks housed the convicts working on infrastructure construction.

Geology and Pastureland

Large slabs of metamorphic rock, such as schist and clay slate, overhang La Lastra. They are considered local examples of geological formations known as “lastras”.

The shared pastures of Tudanca, Santotís and La Lastra continue to support native cattle. Traditional livestock farming takes place alongside the preservation of significant woodlands. Together with the rock slabs, this view of pastures and woodlands broadens the area’s architectural and industrial history to include geological and agricultural themes.

Discover more destinations: Puente Viesgo, San Vicente de la Barquera, Pedreña, Peñarrubia, Mazandrero, Villabanez, Entrambasaguas, Argomilla

For the full travel guide: Cantabria.