Hórreos will be declared Intangible Cultural Heritage as of April 7

As Asturian as cider or fabada, hórreos are about to take a historic step forward: on April 7, the Council of Ministers will approve their declaration as Intangible Cultural Heritage, following a proposal by the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun.

This represents real protection for their future. Safeguarding hórreos does not only mean preserving wood and stone pillars, but also everything they embody: traditional knowledge, crafts, ways of life, and a deep-rooted relationship with the territory that still thrives in Asturias and across northern Spain.

Here, where there are nearly three hórreos per square kilometre, they are part of both the landscape and local identity. As Asturias’ Minister of Culture, Vanessa Gutiérrez, has pointed out, this recognition reinforces years of work to ensure their survival as a collective symbol.

Many no longer store harvests, but they continue to safeguard something just as valuable: memory. And keeping that memory alive is not always easy. Abandonment, loss of function and generational disconnection threaten these unique structures, making their protection all the more urgent. In this effort, public initiatives and organisations such as the Asociación del Hórreo Asturiano have long stressed the obvious: every hórreo lost is a story that disappears.

This recognition fully aligns with the vision of Oviedo 2031, which understands culture as something living, shared and embedded in everyday life. Because heritage is not only what we admire, but what we continue to care for.