The La Lastra hydroelectric power station offers a tangible starting point for exploring local history: it began operating in 1947 with machinery manufactured in Spain. The Church of San Juan Bautista, the El Palacio manor house and historic buildings associated with Saltos del Nansa each add their own perspective. Their architectural styles and former functions bring different aspects of La Lastra’s history to life.
Church of San Juan Bautista: floor plan and dating
The Church of San Juan Bautista has a single-nave layout with side chapels between the buttresses. A single-nave layout has one main space as its basic form, with the chapels extending out to the sides. The chancel ends in a polygonal apse, with the sacristy behind it. The simple façade features a bell gable with a single arch. The straight-edged entrance is set between fluted pilasters; inside, the church is covered by rib vaults of different designs. The result combines a clear basic layout with several architectural elements of varying styles.
It is difficult to date the church precisely: it is dated to sometime between the 18th and 19th centuries. The building is also attributed to the workshop of Val de San Vicente. The dates relating to the church and the power station refer to different things: 1947 marks the start of the hydroelectric power station’s operation, while the church is dated to a period spanning two centuries.
El Palacio and the former school
El Palacio is a manor house at the upper end of La Lastra. Its main façade has semicircular arches on the ground floor, with a wooden balcony above. The building belonged to Captain General D. Gregorio GarcĂa de la Cuesta, who was governor of the Council of Castile. The arches and wooden balcony give the façade a different appearance from the simple front of the Church of San Juan Bautista.
The former school stands in the village centre, next to the parish church. It dates from the 18th century. In tracing the history of local architecture, the details can therefore be distinguished: El Palacio is defined by its façade features and historic ownership, while the school is identified by its location beside the parish church and its date.
Hydropower and Saltos del Nansa
The hydroelectric power station began operating in 1947 with machinery manufactured in Spain. The water system described includes an inflow that is reused and then discharged into the La Lastra balancing reservoir. The start of operations, the origin of the machinery and the subsequent course of the water each offer a different point of reference for understanding the power station’s technical history.
Casa-Dirección is located on the CA-281 road in La Lastra (Tudanca). It was the first building constructed by Saltos del Nansa and served as the company’s office and storage building. It was also used as a residence or apartment accommodation, as well as a garage with storage space. The building’s early role in the company and its several historic uses are both central to its story.
The barracks are located beside the CA-281 road in La Lastra (Tudanca). They housed convicts who worked on building the Saltos del Nansa infrastructure. Today, the barracks are abandoned or used for other purposes; some original features remain. Compared with Casa-Dirección, they illustrate a different historical role within the company’s story: the barracks housed prisoners working on the infrastructure project.
Pastures and geological formations
The communal pastures of Tudanca, SantotĂs and La Lastra continue to feed native cattle. Traditional livestock farming there goes hand in hand with the preservation of important forests. This perspective encompasses three named places and therefore extends beyond La Lastra alone.
Large slabs of metamorphic rocks, such as schist and clay slate, hang above La Lastra. They are considered local examples of geological formations known as “lastras.” The pastures offer insight into ongoing agricultural use shared by three places, while the slabs provide a geological point of interest directly associated with La Lastra. When planning your trip, you can distinguish between architectural and industrial history, communal pasture use and the geological classification of the formations.
Discover more destinations: Santillana Del Mar, Puente San Miguel, Cabezón De La Sal, Los Tojos, Cohiño, Mazandrero, Reinosa, Gornazo
For the main travel overview: Cantabria.
