El paisaje social creado por la implantación de grandes factoríasel caso de Cristalería Española en Azuqueca de Henares

Abstract

In 1963, the factories of Cristalería Española were inaugurated in Azuquecade Henares. This implantation supposed the transformation of a smallManchego town, which earned a living mainly from the agriculture, into abedroom city with a strong industrial influence.The building of a factory of this distinction required some transformationsat territorial and urban level. The most important action was the need torelocate all the new workers in the area. The inauguration of the factorycomplex supposed a claim for the rest of rural towns of the province,whose inhabitants left the life of the field in search of improvements. Thissupposed for Azuqueca de Henares an increase of more than three thousand residents in less than a decade, a disproportionate number for a municipality that lacked the basic social infrastructure to support this increasein its population. For this reason, the urban, economic and residential development of the locality cannot be understood detached from CristaleríaEspañola. The company took on this responsibility not only of building thefactory but of housing for the workers too. This procedure was supervisedby the board of the company, attending all the needs of the employees, including facilities, leisure centers, supermarkets, etc.The factory was built far from the core of Azuqueca, but the housing for theworkers were expanded inside this one, configuring the layout of a newindustrial city. It is undoubtedly perceptible at present and its footprintreflects the radical change confronting the society of the time.In this communication, we will study the intervention of Cristalería in Azuqueca, analyzing the different projects, the social circumstances and relationship between the employees and employers, in order to compare itwith similar industrial interventions in the Spanish territory covered bythe Stabilization Plan of 1959.