To Each, a House
The culture of buying and selling individual houses is not common in rural Spain. Whereas, in the United States, and in some large cities here, the norm is to buy a house, then sell and move whenever you feel it's necessary, here, that is largely unknown. A house here is something that has been in the family for generations. Or a new building that will be passed down to the coming ones. It is something to be cherished and cared for, never sold unless a calamity descends.
The tradition in Galician villages, was for the child who stayed home to care for aging parents, to inherit the family home. The other children had to find their way in the world, and try to build their own homes. Some did, others married someone who would inherit, still others emigrated. Those who emigrated sometimes built a house here for their retirement. Especially notable are the ornate mansions in the north of A Coruña and Lugo, built in the early twentieth century by emigrants to South America and Cuba who made a tidy fortune. Those emigrants were nicknamed Indianos. Their houses were built in a colonial style that incorporated all different designs of gingerbread then known. Victorian-style houses had nothing on an indiano house.
Conditions in the cities were different, of course. Those who migrated to cities to work neither earned enough to invest in housing, nor saw their migration as permanent, simply a stepping stone to earning enough money to eventually build a little house in their village for their old age. These workers would rent apartments. Franco changed all that. He reasoned that if most Republican fighters had had property, they wouldn't have risked losing it by joining the war. He made sure that all new flats and houses built within cities and towns were to be sold, rather than rented. He turned Spain into a nation of property owners.
When the economic boom came about in Europe, in the 60's and 70's, many who emigrated sent back money to build houses. But, not only those who didn't inherit, but also those who, having one house and five children, built a couple more houses to give to some of the children. It became customary to leave each child a house or a property large enough on a lane or road to build a house on it. A cousin of mine whose husband inherited a house, built another one because they had two children. My in-laws inherited a house and built two more. A neighbor gave a parcel of land each to two children to build their houses. An aunt of mine gave a parcel to the only son who had no access to a house. There are many more stories like those.
So, some Spanish are second, third, and even fourth property owners. It's not that they're like some rich and famous, that have the summer mansion in Monaco, and an auxiliary house in Bel Air. It's simply older people that have been working hard all their lives to leave their children a place to call their own. It's an atavistic memory that leads to this provision. Once upon a time, the poorest of the poor were those who had no land on which to build their home; who had to pay steep rents to rich landlords to be able to live in little more than stone huts. Now, a family is still considered poor if it has no property of its own.
That said, I wouldn't mind having a second property in Monaco. 😉
The tradition in Galician villages, was for the child who stayed home to care for aging parents, to inherit the family home. The other children had to find their way in the world, and try to build their own homes. Some did, others married someone who would inherit, still others emigrated. Those who emigrated sometimes built a house here for their retirement. Especially notable are the ornate mansions in the north of A Coruña and Lugo, built in the early twentieth century by emigrants to South America and Cuba who made a tidy fortune. Those emigrants were nicknamed Indianos. Their houses were built in a colonial style that incorporated all different designs of gingerbread then known. Victorian-style houses had nothing on an indiano house.
Conditions in the cities were different, of course. Those who migrated to cities to work neither earned enough to invest in housing, nor saw their migration as permanent, simply a stepping stone to earning enough money to eventually build a little house in their village for their old age. These workers would rent apartments. Franco changed all that. He reasoned that if most Republican fighters had had property, they wouldn't have risked losing it by joining the war. He made sure that all new flats and houses built within cities and towns were to be sold, rather than rented. He turned Spain into a nation of property owners.
When the economic boom came about in Europe, in the 60's and 70's, many who emigrated sent back money to build houses. But, not only those who didn't inherit, but also those who, having one house and five children, built a couple more houses to give to some of the children. It became customary to leave each child a house or a property large enough on a lane or road to build a house on it. A cousin of mine whose husband inherited a house, built another one because they had two children. My in-laws inherited a house and built two more. A neighbor gave a parcel of land each to two children to build their houses. An aunt of mine gave a parcel to the only son who had no access to a house. There are many more stories like those.
So, some Spanish are second, third, and even fourth property owners. It's not that they're like some rich and famous, that have the summer mansion in Monaco, and an auxiliary house in Bel Air. It's simply older people that have been working hard all their lives to leave their children a place to call their own. It's an atavistic memory that leads to this provision. Once upon a time, the poorest of the poor were those who had no land on which to build their home; who had to pay steep rents to rich landlords to be able to live in little more than stone huts. Now, a family is still considered poor if it has no property of its own.
That said, I wouldn't mind having a second property in Monaco. 😉
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