The Nave de los Picos is located in the dock of the Canal de Castilla in Alar del Rey (Palencia), near the canal’s source, considered its kilometer zero. It forms part of the old river port complex, where the infrastructure for loading, unloading, and storing goods was concentrated, in a system developed between the late 18th and 19th centuries, when the dock became one of the canal’s main operational centers.
The building is located on the right bank of the dock, integrated into a functional environment that included warehouses, housing, and other auxiliary buildings. It was here that goods—especially grain and coal—were transferred from other means of transport to the canal barges, a feature also related to the later development of the railway. From an architectural standpoint, it is characterized by its great length and an interior system of wooden pillars supporting the roof, creating a large, open space comparable to a “forest of columns,” ideal for logistical functions.
Currently, although it has lost its original use, the building has been reused as a cultural and interpretive space for the Canal de Castilla, contributing to the understanding of the canal as an infrastructure that is not only hydraulic, but also economic and territorial.
