Portal de Turismo de Castilla y León

Dates

5 June to 14 August 2026

When?

Currently

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For the first time in Spain, an exhibition is dedicated to forest ranger stations. Since June 5th, the exhibition has allowed visitors to trace the history of these buildings over the last 150 years and recognize the work carried out in monitoring, protecting, and improving the province's public forests.

The Provincial Historical Archive has selected for this exhibition some thirty documentary testimonies , including textual documents, photographs and plans generated by the Valladolid Forestry District and by its successor, the Provincial Headquarters of the Institute for Nature Conservation (ICONA).

Through these pieces, the visitor can learn about the evolution of forest houses, conceived as homes for forest rangers and their families, but also as a base of operations for the tasks of monitoring, conservation and improvement of public forests.

The forest house, along with its adjoining facilities, was located within or near a public forest and served a dual purpose: to serve as a residence for the staff in charge of forest rangers and to act as a support point for the technical work of studying, planning and supervising the forest territory.

The exhibition, installed in the entrance hall and the Rica room of the Provincial Historical Archive, allows visitors to follow the evolution of these constructions through different historical stages , in a journey situated between architecture, forest management and natural heritage.

The first part of the exhibition addresses the origin of the forester's house as designed by the State Forestry Administration in the last decade of the 19th century. These early buildings were linked to the management and reforestation processes of public forests and were characterized by their functionality, economy, and simplicity.

The second phase focuses on the period of expansion of forestry houses during the 1950s and early 1960s. In 1958 alone, eight were built in the province of Valladolid, a phenomenon linked to the acceleration of reforestation efforts and the support of the National Housing Institute and local councils.

The final section is dedicated to the decline of these buildings. From the late 1960s onwards, many forest ranger houses were abandoned after losing their original purpose, while others fell into ruin. However, some have been restored in a process initiated by ICONA (the National Institute for Nature Conservation) and subsequently continued by the Junta de Castilla y León and various local councils.

As a complement to the exhibition, the Territorial Delegation of the Junta in Valladolid, through its Territorial Service of the Environment, has published a catalogue that includes all the exhibited pieces and includes a text by Francisco Javier Gordo, a forestry engineer and one of the greatest experts on forest houses in the province.

The exhibition can be visited at the Historical Archive from Monday to Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., until August 14. Guided group tours must be arranged in advance.