Góntar Sink

El Lavadero de Góntar is a place in Segura de la Sierra, in the province of Jaén, associated with the source or spring of Gontar. It is located next to the urban center, near the municipal swimming pool, in a mountain environment where the water has had a decisive role in the settlement and in the traditional agrarian uses. The consulted data sheet places the spring at an altitude of 1,120 m and defines it as a spring with a low but permanent flow. The complex conserves two spouts, two large basins and several smaller pools, organized inside a renovated building. Its main interest lies in the fact that it summarizes in a single point the relationship between supply, irrigation and domestic washing: the water historically fed the terraced vegetable gardens on the hillside and, at the same time, served as a neighborhood washing place. Today it is presented as a small heritage and walking landmark, integrated in an accessible and well-kept environment. What can be seen is an element of popular architecture linked to a natural spring, rather than a great landscape, but with strong ethnographic value. It is interesting to visit it for the clarity with which it explains the traditional use of water in the Sierra de Segura and for its visible conservation, which allows us to recognize the original function of the place. Its relevance is local and patrimonial: it is described in the documentation of sources of Gontar and in tourist directories of the Sierra de Segura, and it is part of the network of marked trails PR-198 Segura de la Sierra-Moralejos.