The Bombos of Tomelloso and the Carriage Museum
Amid the vineyards and olive groves around Tomelloso stand the Bombos of Tomelloso: remarkable dry-stone circular shelters where farmers took refuge and carried on daily life under the Manchegan sun.
The Bombos of Tomelloso
Built without mortar from 1810 through the 20th century, these rural bunkers stored tools, sheltered laborers, and sometimes served as temporary lodgings during harvest and pruning.
Building technique
- Dry stone: hand-shaped slabs and cobbles fitted together to form walls up to 1.5 m thick.
- Circular or elliptical plan: distributes loads evenly and withstands strong winds.
- Conical roof: a false vault created by successive overlapping layers without formwork.
- Central chimney: ventilated smoke from internal fires.
Geographical distribution
Besides Tomelloso, these structures appear in Socuéllamos, Villarrobledo, El Provencio, and other parts of La Mancha, each showing local variations in size and decoration.
Carriage Museum
At the Carriage Museum of Tomelloso, agrarian heritage comes to life: since 1970 it displays an original Bombo made of over two million stones, a silent witness to rural life.
How to get there
Decimal: 39.172500°, -3.013889°
DMS: 39°10'21" N, 3°0'50" O
