The Lavadero del Pilar is one of two historic lavaderos in Mondéjar, Spain. The other one is the Lavadero del Espinar. The Lavadero del Pilar is easily the most interesting of the two.
In Spanish, the word “lavadero” means laundry so, if you decide to visit Mondéjar and go to the Lavadero del Pilar, you will actually be visiting the place where members of the community used to go and wash their clothes. There was also a third lavadero in the grounds of the Convento de San Antonio, but that one was only for the monks.
It’s a long time since anyone washed their clothes in laundries of this nature. These days, the Lavadero del Pilar is used more like a community summerhouse. In fact, this old laundry is a popular place to have barbecues. However, due to the risk of forest fires, barbecues are forbidden during the long, hot summer months.
The epoca de peligro (danger period) begins on the 29th of March and ends on the 30th September. So, if you want to host a barbecue at the Lavadero del Pilar, you won’t be able to do between these dates.
The Lavadero del Pilar is quite large and, although there is a building, much of the lavadero is in the open-air. Unfortunately, the history of the building is a grey area. Even the local council’s website does not state when the Lavadero del Pilar was constructed.
However, the council carried out restoration work in 2006 so it’s not surprising the historic laundry is in such good condition.
Although the laundry is located directly in front of a rocky embankment, it still gets a tremendous amount of sun for much of the day. It’s cooler if you visit in the evening and there is no need to worry about stumbling about in the dark because the path that leads to the Lavadero del Pilar is illuminated by electric lights.
However, visiting during the evening may not a good idea if you are frightened of bats. When the sun starts to go down, the bats come out. Every time I went there in the evening there were always a few of them flapping around.
How to Get to the Lavadero del Pilar
It’s easy to find the Lavadero del Pilar. It’s only a short walk from the centre of Mondéjar. A fit person should be able to walk there in around 15 minutes. There easiest way to get there is to follow the Camino Pilar.
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