In the olden days, La Molina valley, an inhospitable valley ridden with bandits until the mid-nineteenth century, took advantage of the energy from the water from watermills to cut wood in the lumber mills.
In fact, the current Mare de Déu de les Neus hostel used to be a lumber mill.
History
The hostel is an architectural testimony of the history of La Molina, because legend has it that the name ‘La Molina” comes precisely from these facilities which processed wood and became the socio-economic drivers of the region.
In 1923, this early industry was boosted with the opening of the railway and the Transpirinenc train's arrival in La Molina. Plus, the first ski resort in Catalonia and Spain was opened in La Molina one year later.
Several years after that, thanks to this new means of transport, different organisations under the name of the Unió Excursionista de Catalunya [Hiking Union of Catalonia], founded in 1932, started taking advantage of easier access to La Molina. Until then, it had only been enjoyed by the local residents. These hikers renovated the former lumber mill building and made it into a shelter for 30 people, which became a meeting point for lovers of mountain culture. This shelter, located in what is the hostel today, welcomed hikers from the start, but several years later, a fire left it in ruins. Moreover, the Spanish Civil War also left its mark by putting a halt to mountain sports. Paradoxically, despite this hiatus caused by the conflict, many Catalan mountain-dwellers in both Spain and France specialised in the risky practice of skiing, which was a huge impetus in spreading this sport.
La Molina began its slow recovery in around 1940, after the Civil War. Specifically, at the beginning of that year, the Unió Excursionista de Catalunya shelter was turned into a hotel. The Rosal family built the Hotel Sitjar, which was run by the Planes family for almost 20 years. It was one of the first hotels in the valley and a key driver of tourism in this region. Plus, as it had in the past, the building also contributed to bringing life to the town. Nineteen years later, the hotel was shut down and the Virgen de las Nieves school was started in the same site. The school depended on Father Manyanet’s congregation at the Sagrada Família. The students were the children of wealthy families with a very high spending power from all over: Catalan, Basque and Swiss children, among others, all studied together. Even when it was a school, snow was an integral part of the building’s history, not only because of its name, Virgen de las Nieves (which means Our Lady of the Snows), but also because skiing was an essential part of the children's education, as they had compulsory ski classes.
In 1982, the religious congregation sold the building to the Government of Catalonia. Thus, the former lumber mill, which had served as the shelter of the Unió Excursionista de Catalunya, later became the Hotel Sitjar and then even became the Virgen de las Nieves school run by Father Manyanet's chaplains, became the Mare de Déu de les Neus hostel, keeping the name of the former school, but in Catalan. The hostel's current use is still related to the snow. In addition to the fact that it's a youth hostel and a student residence, Mare de Déu de les Neus also houses the ski school, where young people who are becoming professionals in that world can further their studies in the hostel's classrooms. From the very start, the history of this building has been associated with the snow, a determining factor which has also been the main tourist attraction. The snow embellishes the landscape and has made it famous in more recent periods. Plus, the building has always been an essential part of the town and its growth. First, the lumber mill was one of its main engines; later, it attracted the pioneering hikers; and with the Hotel Sitjar, it made larger waves of tourists possible. And obviously, its service to the town didn’t stop when it became a school.
Perhaps its current function as a hostel in some way encompasses all the different personalities it has had over the years. For example, it still offers accommodations, just as it did when it was a shelter and a hotel. And at the same time, it is still focused on education and young people, as it was when it was a school. Finally, it is still an important socio-economic driver of the town. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that there has always been a close relationship between the town of La Molina and what is today the Mare de Déu de les Neus hostel.
Architecture
The Mare de Déu de les Neus hostel is located in a building that has been used for many different purposes over time.
Originally, when it was a lumber mill, it was a small, square building that was gradually rebuilt as its purposes changed. It didn’t change much when it was turned into a shelter, but then it burned down.
So, when it became the Hotel Sitjar, it had to be rebuilt from the ground up. The new structure was still square in layout, but adapted to a hotel's needs. The main structural change was when it became the Virgen de las Nieves school, when a new rectangular-shaped building was attached to the original one. Plus, in one part of this new area, a chapel was built that is still there; it's in a simple room with coloured windows where the school’s masses were held. In fact, it still had an altar until two months ago. Along with this addition, the school had a bread oven in back. The building is currently owned by the Government of Catalonia and has been adapted to the needs and purposes of a youth hostel. Plus, it still maintains the school building, which is characterised by being a mountain building using materials that fit in with the landscape around it: wood, stone and slate.