AIENEKO LAUNDRY ROOM

Built in 1863, it is an example of traditional architecture and is now a tourist attraction that hosts exhibitions, storytelling sessions and concerts in a u...

Built in 1863, this is a magnificent example of vernacular architecture bearing witness to the hard work of the women and the daily life of Leitza. Right beside the square, it is now a well-maintained and welcoming place to visit, occasionally hosting exhibitions, storytelling sessions or small concerts.
Before modern washing machines, all laundry was done at the river. Stones were arranged in a slope so that, using body weight, clothes could be soaped and scrubbed with relative ease. They were then rinsed in the stream and wrung out before being carried home in a wicker basket. Later, local councils built municipal wash houses like this one with running water, sheltered from rain and wind.
The work of washing and carrying laundry, usually done by women, was exhausting especially in winter and a source of rheumatism, tendonitis and skin conditions. These centres of hard labour also became places of intense social life.