Culture

Road labourers' house

This road labourers’ house is in the territory of Luco de Jiloca, a hamlet belonging to the Teruel municipality of Calamocha.

This type of building was part of the 18^th century road and track maintenance system. A system based on road labourers, who were responsible for maintaining and repairing a certain stretch of road, generally 5 km long, to which they were assigned, while living by the road, in what were known as Road Labourers Lodges.

The figure of the road labourer officially came into existence in 1767 and they achieved a rank of authority. Their tasks included maintaining, cleaning and repairing the ditches, the roadway and the areas around them.

Construction of these houses began in the 18^th century, with the twin purpose of serving as a residence for the road labourers given the need for the worker to live in his area, and to offer assistance to travellers, acting as lodging if necessary.

Its architectural model is that which was approved in the Royal Decree of 1852, drafted by the engineers Lucio del Valle, Víctor Martí and Ángel Mayo, whereby it was to be able to accommodate two dwellings, with a simple appearance and structure that would be inexpensive to maintain.

During the Spanish Civil War, these buildings suffered major structural damage. In the province of Teruel, a total of 63 lodges were destroyed. Subsequently, with the execution of the General Road Plan in 1961 and the modernisation of road maintenance works, those that remained became uninhabited and ended up being demolished. But some were eventually saved.

This is the true of the road labourers’ booth at Luco de Jiloca, built in 1861 according to the model of the double lodge approved by the Royal Decree of 1852. It consists of a single, rectangular, gable-roofed 110 m² nave with a vestibule shared by the two dwellings and a back garden, which is shared too.

Today it has been restored and conserves the furniture and traditional tools of the road labourers, providing a glimpse into the history of the roads.

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