Manufacturas laneras en Béjar durante la Edad Moderna. La formación de un paisaje industrial: Caracterización y protección

Abstract

While in the Castilian Meseta, several textile manufacturing hubs enjoyed their heyday during the Early Modern Period, only the town of Bejar still retains some textile activity. The reasons for the survival of this local industry must be sought in the circumstances that surrounded manufacturing in the ducal town in former days. The present paper probes into the early stages and the later expansion of Bejar-based wool manufacturing and analyses the main factors that contributed to its location in this town. Centuries of textile activity have left a valuable cultural heritage as well as an indelible mark in Bejar by shaping a unique industrial landscape whose main elements are characterised in this paper. Last but not least, the current state of this heritage is likewise described before examining several conservation proposals.