LOCAL CRAFTS
Cortegana historically was characterised as a town with a great tradition of crafts and industry, which brought national and international recognition and appreciation of its products.
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Cork: those that had the greatest impact were the items produced by the cork industry, which in the 19th century developed to a high level in our region. Nowadays, there are a few cork processors which sell the basic material without any further manufacture.
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Steelyard Balances: the fabrication of steelyard balances has a long tradition in Cortegana, however, nowadays, unfortunately, this industry is diminishing. In fact, Frenerías y Romanas López S.L., (López Harness and Steelyard Balances), founded in 1850, is the only factory still in production, and it is limited to special orders for new pieces or the repair of old equipment. The balances most frequently ordered are “borregueras” , used mostly for weighing pigs: Precision in craft!
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Lorinery (metalwork for horse harness): it began as a substitute or complement to the saddlers’ and harnessworkers’ trade. As with the former workshop, Artesanía del Hierro Roldán S.L., (Roldán Artesan Metalwork) makes metal equipment for horse harness, from stirrups and spurs to bits and nosebands.
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Pottery and Ceramics: these have always been closely associated with the history of Cortegana. From its beginnings until the present day there has never been a shortage of potters and local production of ceramics, stimulated by the demand in the local area and neighbouring villages for dishes and plates, essential for storing, cooking, preparing and serving food. The technique of “spooning”, which consists of forming geometric patterns onto ceramics by dribbling colours from a spoon, has given a great renown to the ceramics produced in our area, and is still continued today by the Peñalta Pottery.
