This weekend, we received a message from a friend, a fellow Hiver, that there was a forest fire around the town of Ibi. Just one day later, another fire started in a nearby town as well, Villena. Sad news for the forests, but very common during the hot summers, as the combination of heat and wind makes it easy for the fire to propagate. Luckily, it seems that the fires in Ibi and Villena are under control now.
Ibi, that town of a short name, was visited by us last week, actually twice. The second time we went, as we forgot something the first time 😂, but then, we used the opportunity to visit a museum of toys as well. We parked our car in a calm street and went on foot to the centre. You know, the narrow streets of Spanish towns are not our favourite place to drive, especially as that day I let my son drive. Better on foot, as then you can stop and see some interesting things. For example, this old tree, Platanus.
This board says that in this square, Plaza de la Palla, there were three of these huge Platanus trees in the past and they used to give shade for the whole square. Just one of these old ones survived, although there are other, younger trees of the same species. The estimated age of this tree is 350 years.
The younger trees were giving a nice shade too. I saw a painted bench, which reminded me of the painted benches I saw in Zaragoza. On one of these benches, my son and I saw a group of elderly people; one of them was weaving an esparto basket.
While we were walking toward the museum, we passed by these really old buildings in Ibi. The town itself is not so old, compared to the other very old Spanish cities that have several centuries of their existence. However, the buildings also gave that feeling of visiting past times that once had their splendour. It was the time when the toy factories of this town, Ibi, were the leaders in this industry of the whole country.
This is the building of the Guardia Civil, still in use nowadays.
From one of the streets, I saw the blue domes of this church. That was the sign for me that we also have to pass by this building, Iglesia de la Transfiguración del Señor (Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord). It is a neoclassical church from the late 18th century, although it seems that there was a different church before this building got its final shape after many renovations.
So, that was the part of the old town we passed through while going to the museum. There, we saw the history of the factories and all the toys that found their place in the permanent exhibition (a separate post will come about that) and in the hall of the temporary exhibition, we learned bout the importance of the women in this town in the industry.
Already as little girls, the female population of Ibi was actively involved in the work of the factories. The inscription under the photo tells us a story of a ten-year-old girl who used to work for six hours every day in the toy factory before she turned that age. When they turned ten, the girls would also receive a payment for their work.
The personal stories written there tell us the truth about the importance of women in the development of the industry of the town, highlighting also the fact that they didn't have the same treatment and payment as men. This exposition gives honour to all the women who worked and made this town so important back in time.
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I imagine many industrial towns of Spain that had their golden years in the beginning and middle of the last century have similar stories, but I was glad to read about it here, in Ibi. I hope no more forest fires will hit the natural spaces around this little town this summer. 🤞
