Civil Architecture

Past and future converge on Lalín. Medieval bridges of stone like " Ponte Taboada " or Ponte dos Cabalos" coexist with the modern glass architecture of “Castro Tecnolóxico”. The first astronomic observatory of Galicia is also considered in the scientific vanguard . It was constructed by Don Ramon M ª Aller in 1924, and, nowadays, there are guided visits and activities of sky observation.

As example of industrial architecture, the building of Rodís's paper mill, founded around year 1850 that nowadays is a private housing.

In Lalín Municipality there are 30 Mainhouses, constructions most typical of the Galician nobility. Some of them, without its inhabitants, stand the test of time with difficulty, looking to “Pazo de Liñares” that rised like the phoenix and shows all its magnificence to visitors. Others preserve its function of housing, or they turned into rural establishments that receive its privileged guests.

To enjoy popular architecture, it is enought just to walk along rural areas and to admire functional constructions as mills of water, barns, washers or stone structures. All of them create the soul of our landscape.

Astronomical Observatory

It is located in the garden of "Lalin´s distinguished son", D. Ramón María Aller house which holds the Municipal Museum by the same name since 1986.

D. Ramón began making observations from the house balcony (first observatory). In 1911, he was already known in astronomy field and he was invited by Luis de Ocharán Mazas, business owner and sponsor, to move into the Castro Urdiales observatory, mostly in summer. These stays took place between 1911 and 1920 and he could work with high quality instruments and built his own observatory in Lalin. This way he built two wooden huts at the garden (second observatory) to save his instrumental and carry out his observations, investigations and studies, between 1912 and 1917. In 1923 with the idea of installing a Steinhel retractor telescope to 120 mm, he drew the plan of the new building with a necessary dome for the instruments. The new observatory was ended in 1824, been the best one in Galicia.

At the new place, it began a productive researching activity until instruments were moved to Santiago de Compostela (where R M Aller was promoted to director) in 1943.

Building was restored in 2010, keeping the same wooden lining of the primitive dome, but provided of an opening system and an automatic turn. It is equipped with a modern Plane-wave telescope of 0,51m opening. Nowadays it holds astronomy conferences and educational activities.

Schedule
Monday to Friday: 09:00 to 14:00, 18:00 to 20:00
Holidays: Closed
Visits
For free. Groups with reservation
Address
Calle Ramón Aller, 9 - 36500 Lalín
Phone
986 784 004
Email
museo@lalin.gal
Coordinates
42.661146, -8.113290
Imagen Astronomical Observatory