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“¡El Lago de Sanabria está en peligro!" Entre el desarrollo hidroeléctrico y la protección de la naturaleza en la España franquista (1943-1972)

Gorostiza, Santiago LU orcid (2026) In Historia Contemporánea p.19-53
Abstract
In 1952, plans to convert Lake Sanabria (Zamora) into a reservoir for hydroelectric production sparked a press campaign that reached the front pages of the Spanish national press. At the intersection of environmental and political history, this article examines the controversy surrounding the protection of the lake and its designation as a «Picturesque Site» («Paraje Pintoresco») in 1953, under the National Artistic Heritage Law of 1933 and overseen by the Ministry of National Education. The lake’s defenders emphasized its cultural, natural, and aesthetic value, as well as its fishing, hunting, and forestry resources, articulating a discourse that intertwined its landscape with the Spanish nation. Despite the initial success of the... (More)
In 1952, plans to convert Lake Sanabria (Zamora) into a reservoir for hydroelectric production sparked a press campaign that reached the front pages of the Spanish national press. At the intersection of environmental and political history, this article examines the controversy surrounding the protection of the lake and its designation as a «Picturesque Site» («Paraje Pintoresco») in 1953, under the National Artistic Heritage Law of 1933 and overseen by the Ministry of National Education. The lake’s defenders emphasized its cultural, natural, and aesthetic value, as well as its fishing, hunting, and forestry resources, articulating a discourse that intertwined its landscape with the Spanish nation. Despite the initial success of the campaign —which called for the conservation and promotion of Lake Sanabria as a tourist destination without questioning the dictatorship’s broader hydroelectric policy— the reservoir project was approved in 1957. In 1959, the collapse of the Vega de Tera dam and the destruction of the nearby village of Ribadelago, located on the shores of Lake Sanabria, postponed the start of construction, which ultimately never took place. (Less)
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author
organization
alternative title
“Lake Sanabria is in Danger!” Between Hydroelectric Development and Nature Protection in Francoist Spain (1943-1972)
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Conservation, Francoism, environmental conflicts, environmental history, Nation and nature
in
Historia Contemporánea
issue
80
pages
19 - 53
publisher
UPV/EHU Press
ISSN
1130-2402
DOI
10.1387/hc.27321
project
From military to civil crime: an environmental history of ecocide (FORMAS career grant)
language
Spanish
LU publication?
yes
id
d1a94f80-dce0-4b0a-966c-986d0d201653
date added to LUP
2026-02-04 13:44:34
date last changed
2026-02-05 03:57:34
@article{d1a94f80-dce0-4b0a-966c-986d0d201653,
  abstract     = {{In 1952, plans to convert Lake Sanabria (Zamora) into a reservoir for hydroelectric production sparked a press campaign that reached the front pages of the Spanish national press. At the intersection of environmental and political history, this article examines the controversy surrounding the protection of the lake and its designation as a «Picturesque Site» («Paraje Pintoresco») in 1953, under the National Artistic Heritage Law of 1933 and overseen by the Ministry of National Education. The lake’s defenders emphasized its cultural, natural, and aesthetic value, as well as its fishing, hunting, and forestry resources, articulating a discourse that intertwined its landscape with the Spanish nation. Despite the initial success of the campaign —which called for the conservation and promotion of Lake Sanabria as a tourist destination without questioning the dictatorship’s broader hydroelectric policy— the reservoir project was approved in 1957. In 1959, the collapse of the Vega de Tera dam and the destruction of the nearby village of Ribadelago, located on the shores of Lake Sanabria, postponed the start of construction, which ultimately never took place.}},
  author       = {{Gorostiza, Santiago}},
  issn         = {{1130-2402}},
  keywords     = {{Conservation; Francoism; environmental conflicts; environmental history; Nation and nature}},
  language     = {{spa}},
  number       = {{80}},
  pages        = {{19--53}},
  publisher    = {{UPV/EHU Press}},
  series       = {{Historia Contemporánea}},
  title        = {{“¡El Lago de Sanabria está en peligro!" Entre el desarrollo hidroeléctrico y la protección de la naturaleza en la España franquista (1943-1972)}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/241367913/def_27321_Gorostiza_hc80.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1387/hc.27321}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}