Casa Jauki

Casa Jauki is a historic hórreo — a traditional granary raised on pillars — standing in the village of Hiriberri / Villanueva de Aezkoa, in Navarre's Aezkoa valley. It belongs to a small surviving group of wooden granaries still attached to the stone houses of this Pyrenean valley, and it stands as one of the local symbols of the region's rural heritage.

What exactly is a hórreo, and what sets Casa Jauki apart?

A hórreo (known locally in the Aezkera Basque dialect as garai or garaia) is a small agricultural structure built on wooden or stone pillars. Raising the granary off the ground served a very practical purpose: it kept stored grain safe from ground moisture and away from rodents. Casa Jauki is one such granary attached to a household of the same name, and it stands close to other surviving examples in Hiriberri — roughly 180 metres northwest of the hórreo belonging to Casa Elizondo.

Where in the village can visitors find it?

The structure sits within the village core of Hiriberri, among the compact stone houses typical of the Basque-Navarrese valleys, with wooden granaries built alongside the farm buildings. The village also preserves hórreos linked to the houses of Reka, Portal and Elizondo, so visitors can see several of these structures within a short walk of one another.

What is the historical significance of this granary?

Casa Jauki was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Asset of Cultural Interest) on 24 May 1993, giving it formal legal protection as part of Navarre's heritage. The Aezkoa valley is particularly important for this type of building: it conserves 15 of the 22 hórreos that survive across the whole of Navarre, making it one of the best-preserved clusters of this rural architecture in the region.

Why is it worth seeking out a hórreo in the Aezkoa valley?

For travellers interested in vernacular architecture and the agricultural history of the Pyrenees, granaries such as Casa Jauki are a rare surviving record of how communities stored their harvest through a damp mountain climate. Their simple, functional design — pillars, a raised floor and a timber grain chest — has remained essentially unchanged for generations, and having so many surviving examples concentrated in a single valley is unusual on a Navarre-wide scale.

Frequently asked questions

What is Casa Jauki? It is a historic hórreo, a traditional granary raised on pillars, standing next to a farmhouse of the same name in Hiriberri / Villanueva de Aezkoa.

When did it receive legal protection? It was listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural on 24 May 1993, giving it protected status within Navarre's heritage register.

Are there other similar granaries nearby? Yes — Hiriberri also preserves hórreos belonging to the houses of Reka, Portal and Elizondo; Casa Jauki stands about 180 metres from the latter.

Why is the Aezkoa valley significant for this type of monument? Because it conserves 15 of the 22 hórreos that survive across all of Navarre, making it one of the densest surviving clusters of this rural building type in the region.