🎵 Audio guide
The building known as El Casón is a mansion with a history of its own. It was built in 1863 by Juan Alberto Casares who had to vacate it after protests by the neighbours because the house was built on land which he didn’t own. It had various owners and ended up as a guard post in the civil war in which the locals supported the Republicans which led to it being set on fire. Later, when the reservoir was constructed, it was renovated for use as accommodation for the workers.
In the 1980's it passed into the hands of the town hall who renovated it and turned it into a cultural centre. It now houses the public library, an assembly hall, the ethnographic museum and the Tagus International Natural Park information centre.
The ethnographic museum, on the ground floor, houses an exhibition that has been created with the collaboration and participation of the local people. It includes diverse elements which were used in the day-to-day lives of the local people in times gone by.
The exhibition occupies four rooms and includes five different displays. There is a recording, narrated from a child's perspective, which describes everyday life in this house, the Casa Rayana. Listening to it, we find ourselves transported back to times gone by.
The first room, from which there is access to the other rooms, corresponds to a traditional living room with its table and sofa. Opposite this room is a display of a typical attic, where all kinds of things are stored. There are large pieces such as a loom, and smaller objects such as carpenters' tools.
To the left of the first room, there is a room with an exposed vault ceiling and a grated walkway to protect the old floor. On one side there is a display of a bedroom and on the other, a collection of equipment used by bakers. At the back, the last room is a kitchen with a large fireplace taking centre stage.
The Tagus International Natural Park information centre, located on the first floor, begins with an introduction to the past, present and future of the park. With the aid of audiovisuals and interpretive panels, visitors are informed about the rich heritage of the area, the current situation of the park, who its inhabitants are and how they live, with a nod to the idea that conservation of the park is everyone's responsibility.
A spacious room houses a large interactive model of the park which helps visitors to situate themselves in the park and locate the various villages and protected areas. At the side of the room, the flora and fauna of the park are highlighted. From here, a splendid terrace serves as a viewpoint, from which there are spectacular views of the surroundings.
The visit ends in a large room where a video about the park is shown. It also has a space for talks, workshops, meetings... Before leaving we can go up to the small viewpoint situated in the tower of the building and discover, for example, the names of the Portuguese villages which surround us.