Of scarce flow, its crystalline waters are the most salubrious of the city, that in old time were used for medicinal purposes, being used as purgative. For many years its waters were used by the nearby Municipal Slaughterhouse.

The number of buildings projected and constructed for the San Martín Station included four shelters for travellers, the dock, the garage and the toilets; a water tank and a moat for the swing bridge were also designed. There is now only one passenger building, the now “La Estación” Cultural Centre, where a multitude of exhibitions and important socio-cultural work is done for the locals. The garage is also still standing and being reused as a children’s shelter. The passenger building has partially followed the 1884 project yet with a few changes. The main difference lies in the turret, which should have been added from the second floor yet was actually individualized from the ground floor and set back in accordance with the rest of the building. Marked externally by the large concrete blocks, the building rises above the level of the road (where the track was located) which is why several entrances to the station were created. The compositional and formal quality that railway company buildings generally have is not observed at the San Martín Station. It is not known whether this is because of the number of changes to the project or because there was an attempt at an architecture of greater significance since it is one of the main towns on the line. A small amphitheatre was added at the bottom.

The property is located on the north edge of the urban area, next to the Arab wall, part of which supports the fence that closes the whole at the rear. The main access through the street of the Wind presents / displays a great door with ashlars closed by two leaves of wood with coats and nails. The vineyard, the barn, the kitchen and the stables are on the ground floor, and on the upper floor, the monks’ rooms and the chapel, the latter decorated with paintings al fresco and accessed by a large door oak wood Since the 1960s he has been used in numerous occasions as a film set for scenes of such famous films as Alastriste, Goya’s Ghosts, Conan the Barbarian, Ay Carmela, and TV series such as Curro Jiménez, Santa Teresa de Jesus and the Joy and Shadows, among others.

The building was a private residence commissioned by the Mendoza family. Later on, he became a college and was not spared from the ravages of the Napoleonic troops. After being reformed, it passed into the hands of the Lizana family in the 19th century and finally in the 20th was bought by the City Council, which has restored it with the help of the Community of Madrid.

Inaugurated in 1616, it was built on plans of the architect Juan Gómez de Mora at the initiative of the first Duke of Lerma, Francisco de Sandoval y Rojas, lord of Valdemoro and valid of Felipe III. It was erected as a female cloistered monastery of the daughters of the nobility who decided to profess religious vows.

The building, located to the south of Valdemoro, near the Fountain of the Villa, is distributed around a central square cloister, like most monastic buildings of the time. The northern façade, in Toledo style, houses an image of Santa Clara flanked by two stone nobiliary shields: the Casa de la Cerda, heirs of Alfonso X, and the coat of arms of the dukedom of Lerma.

The church, the most interesting element of the whole, consists of a Latin cross plan with a single nave, barrel vault, dome above the transept and high choir at the feet with a cloister. The main altarpiece is decorated with two 17th century paintings, La Encarnación and El Calvario.

The route will lead us now to the road that connects Navalcarnero with Villamanta and, after crossing it, we will go towards the meadow of San Isidro through the path of the Water of Riaza.

In the prairie, presided over by the hermitage of San Isidro, which was erected in the 1970s, we can replenish forces, drink water and rest in the shade of trees. This place welcomes every May 15 a popular pilgrimage.

Urban route
1. Theater square and Municipal Theater Center
2. Church of San José (Plaza de San José)
3. Monument to the closures (in the intersection of the C / Freedom with the C / Real)
4. Church of Our Lady of the Assumption
5. Emmit of the Veracruz
6. Segovia square
7. Historic Park de San Sebastián
8. Plaza del Pozo Council
9. Emmit of San Roque
10. Museum of Wine
11. Emmit of San Cosme and San Damián
12. Lonja House
13. Culture House
14. Chain House
15. Emmy of the Confraternity of Our Brother Jesus Cautivo del Amor
16. Interpretation Center
17. Feliciano Hernández Museum

En forma de red, las atalayas tenían como finalidad custodiar los pasos de montaña, principalmente los puertos de Navacerrada, de la Fuenfría y del Alto del León y su conexión con los valles fluviales en tiempos de la Reconquista. Cada atalaya estaba a cargo de dos soldados que comunicaban las situaciones de peligro encendiendo una hoguera en el piso superior, para transmitir la señal de peligro de un puesto a otro, hasta llegar a la plaza fuerte donde se concentraban las tropas principales. La distancia de separación entre las atalayas era, como máximo, de dos kilómetros.

La construcción, en forma de cilindro, descansa sobre un promontorio granítico de origen natural que le asegura máxima visibilidad y sujeción. La Atalaya de Venturada mide algo más de nueve metros de altura y tiene un diámetro de casi seis. El grosor de sus muros de mampostería es de 1,5 metros.

Una única entrada en alto, a la que se accedía por una escalera de mano, daba acceso al interior. Tiene tres niveles, aunque en el pasado tenía otro más en la parte superior que ha desaparecido ya, casi por completo. Los pisos estaban separados por tablones de madera que se sujetaban por vigas transversales. La comunicación entre ellos se hacía gracias a una escalera de mano, colocada en una oquedad abierta en el suelo de cada nivel.

En deficiente estado de conservación, desde la Atalaya de Venturada se vislumbran la Sierra de La Cabrera, La Pedriza, el Cerro de San Pedro, la urbanización de Cotos de Monterrey con los bosques que la bordean y las torres de Madrid.

Declarada Bien de Interés Cultural en 1983, la de Venturada formaba parte del conjunto defensivo de la Marca Media que tenía a Talamanca del Jarama como centro neurálgico. El puesto de Venturada se completaba con los vecinos de El Berrueco (Torrepedrera), Torrelaguna (Arrebatacapas), El Vellón y El Molar, hoy desparecido.

La Hacienda La Coracera ofrece alojamiento y restauración en un entorno de gran valor cultural y natural: San Martín de Valdeiglesias. Un proyecto familiar orientado a la calidad y a ofrecer experiencias únicas relacionadas con los atractivos de su territorio: la historia, los buenos vinos, la buena mesa y las rutas CiclaMadrid.

Estación de Metro de Arganda del Rey
9, Zona B3

The Galapagar Town Hall has had several uses throughout its history, such as primary school, jail or even in the mid-nineteenth century and because of the fire caused in the parish church, its plenary hall was enabled as such, which was extended for a decade, until the reconstruction works were completed. In the reform of the twentieth century was taken into account the historical character of Galapagar, a town linked to Philip II and the construction of the monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The dungeon of great historical and artistic interest, has housed since 2010 the archaeological hall.

The fountain of Old Caño has undergone several interventions and modifications. In fact the present granite ashlar masonry dates from the time of Felipe II (XVI century), as well as the parochial church of the municipality. The poplar accompanying the fountain since the mid-twentieth century was included in the Catalog of Unique Trees of the Community of Madrid at the beginning of 2004, giving it the maximum degree of protection.

The church, declared of Cultural Interest and built in several phases that began in the sixteenth century, presents a single nave and the most outstanding elements are the square brick brick tower and inside the chapel of the Virgin of the Rosary.

The House-Palace of Gózquez de Arriba -included in the system of sets and related elements with the Monastery of the Escorial- is an agricultural building commanded by Felipe II. The construction is of toledano rig and presents / displays a great central patio and a set of galleries dedicated to the elaboration of wine.

To enjoy other patrimonial samples it is advisable to stroll through the streets of San Martín de la Vega and observe, for example, the Plaza de la Fuente which, as its name suggests, houses a 19th century fountain built in stone. Next to it has been discovered an old trough of livestock.

La combinación de oferta mas aventurera del momento. Se puede combinar con piragüismo, escalada, parque aventura.

Oriented westwards, like most Christian temples, it began to be built at the end of the 12th century or early 13th century, although it has had successive reconstructions over time. The most valuable treasure of the church is a great custody made entirely of baroque-style silver, which is only taken out for the liturgical rites of Corpus Christi. In the interior you can see three naves with four sections separated by two rows of pilasters with semicircular arches. In the central nave an enormous altarpiece is conserved with the image of the Virgin that gives name to the temple. In the right ship is the one of Our Lady of the Hawthorn and in the lateral ship left is hidden a small chapel of quadrangular form dedicated to the Christ of the Light.

This file located in Alcalá de Henares is only surpassed by the Federal Archives of Washington and the Cité des Archives de Fontenebleau (in terms of volume of documents). Its consultation is obliged to obtain any antecedent on the architecture, the urbanism, the public works, the education, the culture, the tourism, the economy, the hacienda, the justice, etc. of the contemporary stage, since it receives periodically the documents in which the activity of the different organisms of the General Administration of the State takes shape when they are no longer necessary for the daily management of the offices.

The building, which has a storage capacity of two hundred kilometers of shelving, began to rise in the final months of 1969, and the first revenue of funds was made at the end of 1972, although the works did not finish definitively until the spring of 1973 .

The archive usually organizes temporary exhibitions and admits guided tours of previously arranged groups.

The ships and the tower are of masonry and the headboard of masonry, material that also was used in the edges and outer abutments. The plant is of Latin cross, completing the central nave with two sides separated of this by two semicircular arches. The head, the upper part of the temple and the cruise ship date from the 16th century, and the lower nave was built in the 18th century.

In its interior they emphasize two baroque altarpieces: the great altarpiece, from 1749, carved in walnut wood without polychrome, and the altarpiece located in the arm of the gospel of the cruise, which is of gold and polychrome wood and houses the image of the Virgin of the Carmen.

The altar, carved in limestone, has a front decorated with plateresque motifs from the beginning of the 16th century. The painting of Saint Louise de Marillac, co-founder of the Daughters of Charity, enjoys great devotion.

In addition, it has two baroque baptismal stacks. The oldest, from the end of the XV century, is hexagonal and is located in front of the entrance of the church. The most modern pile, placed on a pedestal of stone, presents on its edge an inscription in which it can be read “me fecit year of 1748”.

It was built as a cloistered convent of Cistercian nuns by order of the archbishop of Toledo, Bernardo de Sandoval y Rojas (hence the saint to whom it is consecrated), under the direction of the architect Juan Gómez de Mora, author of the Plaza Mayor of Madrid and the Pantheon of Kings of the Escorial, among others.

Popularly known as Las Bernardas, construction began in 1618. It is located on San Bernardo Street and is a sober brick building with a stone ornament on the outside. Inside it surprises a majestic oval dome, the greater one in its sort made in Spain.

Look at the façade and look at the statue of St. Bernard, a work attributed to the Portuguese sculptor Manuel Pereira whose hands also came out the carvings of the Church of the Company of Jesus, in the street Libreros de Alcalá de Henares. In the upper tribunes of the church is the Cistercian Clausura Museum of San Bernardo, which recreates a cell and a kitchen of cloister, next to part of the magnificent collection of art that for centuries has guarded the monastery.

From the museum, the visitor can look at the church through the various balconies, obtaining a splendid view of the temple and its chapels, decorated with canvases by Angelo Nardi.

The adjacent building is the Archbishop’s Palace, official summer residence of the archbishops and bishops of Toledo and Alcalá, who suffered in 1939 a fire that affected the whole monastic. Thanks to various restoration projects, the dome and the lantern of the crown regained their splendor.

En un entorno romántico y privilegiado, evocador de otras épocas, sobre nuestro río, entre jardines y fuentes.

The collection of falúas or fluvial pleasure boats is composed of forty objects, six of which are boats and the rest mastites, models and other elements related to the nautical hobbies of the kings. The museum recalls the courtyas in the rivers and ponds of the Real Sites of Buen Retiro in Madrid, La Granja de San Ildefonso and, above all, Aranjuez.

The oldest and most spectacular boat to be exhibited is the golden gondola commissioned in Naples by Charles II in 1683, for use in the pond of Buen Retiro in Madrid. Chronologically, it follows the Carlos IV façade, built in Cartagena at the beginning of the 19th century. From the reign of Fernando VII dates the falca with dolphins interlaced in the bow and the royal coat of arms laureate in the stern, as well as the pavilion adorned with butterflies and garlands. To the reign of Isabel II corresponds the canoe in mahogany wood with reinforcements of golden bronze, constructed in Ferrol in 1859. Also of Isabel II is the boat of cabotage work of Jose Tuduri de la Torre, dedicated by “Mahon to its queen”. Finally, it exposes the falúa of Alfonso XII, gift of the city of Ferrol in 1879, that was used by the monarch in his stays summer in San Sebastián.

In addition we can enjoy the paintings referring to the Spanish squadron of the nineteenth century, as well as a set of bronze cannons from the reign of Fernando VI and various utensils for navigation of falúas.

Of particular relevance is the Gothic carving of the Purísima Concepción, from the 16th century.

Eloy Gonzalo was adopted by a civil guard and his wife and arrived at Chapinería in 1873. After four years and already orphan of father, returned with its mother to San Bartolomé de Pinares (Ávila). At the age of eight his mother died, and decided to return alone and on foot to Chapinería. Imprisoned by problems of love, he was able to leave prison by volunteering for the Cuban war in 1896, where he distinguished himself for his heroism.

Mute Witness of History, it still retains today its primitive physiognomy of medieval fortress. It was reconstructed twice: in 1589, after the destruction suffered during the rebellion of the comuneros of 1521, following plans of Juan de Herrera (author of the Real Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial); and, by Ventura Rodríguez in 1738, who would add a fountain that is conserved to the entrance of the castle in which still the fresh water runs. Illustrious guests of the castle were also the famous Countess of Chinchón, immortalized by Goya, and her husband, Manuel Godoy, minister of Carlos IV.

Constructed in sillarejo, masonry and granite of the quarries of El Escorial, it presents / displays square plant articulated around a great central patio with arqueros of stone of point and four towers in the corners, oriented towards the four cardinal points.

Its character of strength is evident in the bulky perimetral walls of up to three meters of thickness although in fact always had residential palatial use. It is evident its residential character in the reception ladder of the cloister type, the presence of large windows and roofs topped with spiers and lanterns, and by the absence of barbacanas or hollows from where to shoot ammunition.

At present it houses the historical archive of the Ministry of Defense offering, every year, an interesting musical cultural program during the summer period.

Strolling through its old town allows us to know interesting examples of traditional Castilian architecture. Of particular note are the Plaza de la Constitución, built between the 16th and 17th centuries, with arcades and balconies of two bodies, except on the northern front, with three; and the source of the Villa, built in 1605 on Colmenar stone, crowned by the first known shield of the town.

There are also interesting examples of the old houses of work, typical of the Sagra in Madrid, whose different dependencies were distributed around a patio attached to the main room and a large corral which opened blocks, sheds and barns. Of interest are also the colonies of vacationers, formed by palaces erected in the center of lush gardens.

Other places of interest are the parish church of the Assumption of Our Lady of the second half of the seventeenth century, declared an Artistic Historical Monument in 1981; the convent of Santa Clara, of the XVII century, with an important major altarpiece inside; the hermitage of the Holy Christ of Health, of the XVIII century; the convent of La Encarnación, from 1616; the Clock Tower, from 1672; the old Town Hall, from the 16th century; the House of the Inquisition, house of work of century XVII; the lay hospital of San Juan Bautista, founded in 1566, from which the original balcony is preserved; the Old Prison, a group of private dwellings of the sixteenth century reconverted in the local penitentiary; and, the House of the King or school of San Jose, pertaining to its day to the Jesuits until its expulsion of Spain in 1767.

The visit to Torrelaguna deserves a short walk to its hermitage. From the convent of the Carmelites of the Charity, following east by the street of the Cava, we arrive at a roundabout in which we take the road of the Soledad; after 300 meters of route, we will have arrived at our destination.

Until the late fifteenth century it was known as the humiliation of the True Cross. The current building, in baroque style of Latin cross plant with single nave of masonry of stone and brick, was raised in different phases from the sixteenth century. It was then that the rest of the cruise was built, opened with an arched vault and a tribune over a recessed arch of ashlars; the nave covered with barrel vault; the presbytery and the baptismal font. Finally, it was in the 18th century when the Virgin’s chapel was built, located behind the presbytery decorated with a painted vault. In it are also kept the different saints of the municipality that take in procession the locals like the Cristo Yaciente, a jewel of century XVI.

The access is made through two spans formed by a semicircular stone arch topped by a pediment of brick and masonry in boxes crowned by a belfry.

The traveler can also visit other hermitages of the locality like the one of San Sebastián, of century XIV; the one of San Miguel Arcángel and of Our Lady of the Good Bliss, built in 1614; or, that of Santa Maria de la Cabeza, known as the hermitage of Our Lady of Mercy. This is the oldest Marian sanctuary in Madrid, since it has its origin in the pre-Islamic period. Only its ruins and the house of the hermitage of the old Visigoth neighborhood of Caraquiz, just outside Torrelaguna, are preserved.

This is a building of unique characteristics, where still today the purchase can be made in the most traditional style.

The historical memory of this place is perceived in the House of the Lonja, in the style of the Manor and with some elements that give back to the past, such as the shield of hidalgo, the balconies of the nineteenth century or the inner courtyard. The Humilladero of the Green Cross located in the birth of the street of the same name, farewell to us of the market square. The Green Cross on a black background was an emblem of the Inquisition, on whose side they painted an olive branch, a symbol of peace, and the other a sword, a symbol of rigid Justice. Also, this was the way to go to Madrid, hence it is also known as the “cross of the good road”.

The Enchanted Forest is an original botanical garden which is unique in Europe. A place for fantasy populated by mythological creatures, wild animals, fairytale characters and fantastic beings, all sculpted on the basis of plants and bushes. It’s located just outside San Martín de Valdeiglesias on a lush bank offering lovely views of the town. There are several boxwood and privet species which are the plants that have really brought life to this original theme park. This magical place seems to have been taken directly from Tim Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands”.
There are more than 1,000 plant species which give shape to the more than three hundred living sculptures of impossible sizes, carved by the best topiary artists in Europe. All sculptures require immense gardening work. They’re made with a wire base over which the design is created.
Although the best thing about it is getting lost along the paths, the Enchanted Forest is divided into routes: the route of the musicians, the route of the stories and the route of the farm, among many others. True works of art can be found in each of them.
The Enchanted Forest is supplemented with labyrinths, a play place and exhibits of cacti, bonsai and aromatic plants as well as an all-new geology space.
Visitors may spend several unforgettable hours inside this magical atmosphere where there’s also a stream and one of the few natural waterfalls in the Sierra Oeste, the Barbellido waterfall -just a few metres from the source of the Las Casetas stream-.
Visiting the Enchanted Forest is the ideal plan for the whole family. It’s unlike any other botanical garden and just 75 km from Madrid.
Don’t forget to ask about the special rates for groups, schools and travel agencies.

Many of the pieces that houses the Ethnographic Museum have been ceded by the neighbors, which gives it a special value. It is located in the palace of the marquises of Villanueva de la Sagra, sharing its space with the library, the house of majors, a center of tourist stimulation and a school workshop.

The history of Valdaracete, a dry area in which the fields of cereals, vines and olive trees predominate, is intimately united to the reconquest after the arrival in the zone, in 1170, of the Military Order of Santiago.

Within its old town, the Public Schools are reminiscent of the railway constructions of the early twentieth century. The market square draws a picturesque corner made up of traditional Castilian houses. In the Plaza de la Constitución or the Town Hall rises the Consistorial House, built in the traditional style with arches and balcony. Around it we find typical whitewashed houses with balconies in wrought iron and ceramic floors.

Our visit to the Church of San Juan Bautista culminates, located in a stop from which dominates all Valdaracete. It is a Renaissance church of the late sixteenth century, with a single nave, a Latin cross with a tower and bell tower, whose construction is attributed to Juan de Herrera, architect of the monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

On the outskirts of the town, there is the hermitage of the Virgen de la Pera inside which the patron saint of the municipality is guarded.

During the War of Independence was used like headquarters by the French, conserving of this time a fissures in the jambas of its door that made possible the passage of the guns to its interior. The hermitage remains closed all year, opening its doors only in the feast of its saint, the 24 of June. Contains a small reredos of wood with gilded. In the center there is a niche where the image of San Juan Bautista is located.

The exhibition exhibits pieces dated from the Lower Paleolithic to today, with an abundant representation of the materials of lytic origin. It is a magnificent representation of the different techniques present in the prehistory of man, which reflect the evolution in the use of tools in his daily life.
This room reveals the importance of the material found in the different deposits of this area, as a vettón boar, unique in the region, in Parquelagos; a fortified fortress in Las Minas; a cromlech in the stream Pilgrims; a group of high ethnographic interest near La Navata; and a huge zoomorphic figure in Prado Merinero.

In 2007 the discovery of a chopper of the paleolítico inferior in the hill of the Wall. Days later, in a nearby place, abundant ceramics and tools were found in flint and quartzite, in what could constitute a magnificent deposit of funerary urns of the bronze age. The following year, the deposits of Guijo, San Gregorio, Arroyo Membrillo, Los Cerrillos and Siete Fuentes were discovered in which tools of flint, quartzite, porphyry and quartz appear.

Of all of them the one of San Gregorio is the one of greater antiquity, with pieces of Paleolithic inferior and Paleolithic average (120,000-35,000 years). Many of the pieces found in the excavations of these deposits can be seen in this room. Visits can be booked in the mail biblioteca@ayuntamientodegalapagar.com.

From its interior, decorated with two-tone plasterwork, the gold and polychromatic wooden altarpiece stands out, and the Ecstasy of Santa María Magdalena, from 1682, by the Spanish painter Claudio Coello.

El edificio corresponde a lo que en su día era la iglesia del convento de San Juan de la Penitencia, fundado por el cardenal Cisneros.

Located next to the Palacio de Goyeneche, the church of San Francisco Javier was granted the status of Monument of Historical-Artistic Interest in 1941. It is the main landmark of Nuevo Baztán, around which the urban layout of the entire complex gravitates. The church is devoted to San Francisco Javier, the patron saint of Navarra, where Juan de Goyeneche, the developer of the Nuevo Baztán industrial complex in the 17th century, was originally from. Small in size and built in the Herrerian style, it is almost merely a private chapel instead of a church. It is made up of a short central nave, a wide transept and a square-shaped presbytery. Its main façade is made up of a portal and two 27.5 m high towers in the Herrerian style, which flank each side and double the height of the palace, with which it is connected through a direct access that starts from the choir. Thus, they form a single architectural and visual structure. The access to the church is flanked by two pilasters and four columns, leading to a profusely decorated space. Of particular note is the main altarpiece presided over by a sculpture of Saint Francis Xavier, both executed in Cuenca marble by Churriguera. The other altarpieces that can be found in the temple are made of wood using the finto-marmo technique. Visitors will surely be amazed by its two tribunes and the choir, as well as by the semicircular dome -which consists of two spans and eight windows. The church features a number of fine Filipino ivory sculptures from the Goyeneche period. The most popular one is the one representing the Cristo del Socorro, main saint of the Way of the Cross of the Javierada pilgrimage, organised each year by the Association of Navarros of Madrid, sponsored by the Real Congregación de San Fermín de los Navarros. The sculptures of Saint John the Baptist, the Holy Family and the Virgin and Child are also to be admired. Finally, the church has two crypts in bare red brick.

Located in the middle of nature, the Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex tracking station tracks the vehicles that NASA sends to space.

In its visitor center we can enjoy while learning with videos, photographs, exhibitions, children’s activities … and with unique objects such as a moonstone and a suit by the astronaut Miguel López-Alegría. In these installations we can visualize missions as important as the exploration of Mars with ‘Curiosity’ and ‘Opportunity’.

This space communications center created by NASA and INTA (National Institute of Aerospace Technology) is equipped with six huge antennas. Surely the smallest will enjoy with the close-up view of the antenna of 70 meters in diameter and 8,500 tons with which every day beat the record of human telecommunications by coming into contact with the probe Voyager I, located almost at 15 light-hours from Earth.

The temple is a singular and outstanding example of a “columnary church hall”, attributed in its design to Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón, one of the most outstanding Castilian architects of the XVI.

Simultaneously, up to three dozen furnaces came to operate. At present, five or six of these buildings remain in the surroundings of the street Afuera de Tinajeros and Calle Convento, protected as pieces of singular and unique architecture. A jar of Colmenar opened the pavilion of Madrid in the Universal Exhibition of Seville in 1992 and another of them decorates the gardens of the House of the Princes of Asturias, gift of the City council of Colmenar de Oreja by reason of its link.

The Palacio de la Sagra was built at the end of the 18th century as a hunting lodge for the Marquis of Villanueva de la Sagra. It has a square floor plan with a rectangular side patio, a wooden gallery on columns and a Renaissance style doorway. In his long life he has seen almost everything: From the hands of the Marquis of Villanueva de la Sagra he went after the Patronage of the Child Jesus of Remedy, who used it as preventorio of children of leprous parents. During the Civil War it was used as an arsenal of weapons. At the end of the 90’s it was acquired and restored by the Chapinería Town Hall, which installed in it several municipal offices, among them the library and the ethnographic museum, as well as a tourist revitalization center.

This plaza is one of the most beautiful in Spain, thanks to its irregular floor, which shows its popular origin, but it does not detract from its harmony. Its present structure corresponds to 1683, when it was closed in all its flanks. Homogeneous three-storey buildings stand out, with arcades, galleries and wooden balconies painted green.

In its origin it was the meeting place where cattle fairs were held. The council bought some houses in 1499 to undertake its meetings, establishing the Town Hall in the same place in which it is today. In 1502 Juana la Loca and Felipe el Hermoso visited Chinchón and its Plaza Mayor. In 1683 it was closed by opening enough holes to give way to processions and chariots.

The Plaza Mayor, one of the most beautiful in the Community of Madrid, houses emblematic buildings such as the Town Hall and the Casa del Pósito (communal granary). Although it is similar to other Castilian squares, it has its own personality because the buildings are based on columns and pilasters of stone Colmenar (the same that was used for the sources of Neptune and Cibeles in Madrid). It was built between 1676 and 1794 on a ravine using a system of bridges and arches that rise over the Zacatín Stream.

To its back, the gardens of the Zacatín are located, where you can visit the Arch of the Bridge of the Zacatín, that surpasses the unevenness that exists between the town and the suburbs. Sit next to the Zacatín fountain, also called the Barranco, and enjoy these peaceful gardens full of terraces is to travel to the XVI century.

In a square next to the Plaza Mayor called Plaza del Mercado, there is the church of Santa María la Mayor, which was built by the Order of Santiago in the thirteenth century and does not go unnoticed by its imposing air of strength. The chancel is adorned with frescoes by Czech Ulpiano. Precisely near the church is the impressive museum dedicated to this painter, which is one of the highlights of any visit to Colmenar de Oreja.

Finally, the chapel of the Christ of the Humilladero houses the image of the pattern of the town, about 600 meters from the Plaza Mayor. The hermitage is surrounded by a magnificent environment of gardens that invite to walk and take a moment of rest.

The name of the village comes from Apis Aureliae (in reference to the hives -Apis- and to the name of the pre-Roman castle of Aureliae whose remains are in the province of Toledo).

The visit to the castle takes place in three phases. The first one starts in the basement and ground floor, where is the interpretation center where, with support of information panels, a documentary explains the history of the territory of the Mendoza, the two castles there were; and, of the construction of the present one. In this section we can also delve into the chores, customs and traditions of the time. Finally, we will see the scope of the different rehabilitation projects that have returned the castle to its original state. The last, in 2005.

The visit continues through the courtyard, a rectangular room that gives access to the palace area through a large stone staircase. Once in the upper gallery, we can access the different rooms and rooms, converted into a museum, where two of the rooms that served as rooms of the castle stand out. The first, from Santillana, served as a meeting room and was decorated with rich tapestries from Brussels-Brabant to the taste of the seventeenth century. The other, called the Infantado, served as a great hall. She is presided over by a Brussels-Brabant tapestry of the series La vida del hombre (The life of man) and has several objects of furniture.

It is also interesting to visit the Estrado de Damas, installed in the tower of the homage, where these were doing their public life. It has two other tapestries of the series Julio César and an original viewpoint window of the construction of the fortress in century XV. Finally, the Alcoba has an oratorio inside that served as a private chapel.

From here you can access the adarve or south gallery which, as a viewpoint, allows us from its towers, enjoy both the defensive elements of the castle and lose sight of the possessions of the Mendoza.

This Baroque shrine has a brick façade and lintelled door. It was once the church of the old Hospital de la Misericordia de Chinchón (17th century). It has a single nave and an altarpiece with the image of the Virgin and a painting of Santa Lucía.

Colmenar de Oreja is a great place to walk around in and discover in its corners the echoes of a bygone era -when people did their laundry, watered their animals, or drank from public fountains and wells.
In the tranquil terraced gardens of Zacatín, we can also find the Fountain of Zacatín, now also called the Fuente del Barroco, or the Fountain of the Precipice. It was built in 1779, although water from its wellspring has been drawn since Roman times (2nd century CE). You can hear the water rushing through to the fountain inside the Arch of Zacatín.

Built in the early 17th century, its rehabilitation in 2008 has brought to light interesting frescoes. The hermitage was linked to the Brotherhood of the Veracruz, that in 1652 acquired a lying Christ attributed to Sánchez Barba; Today it is conserved in this hermitage.

It has a length of 38.80 m. and something more than 16 m. of height. Erected in two times, its apse is Renaissance, of century XVI, whereas the rest is baroque of Century XVII.

Of simple plant, constructed in stone carved irregular, in its interior they emphasize five chapels that open to the ship, covered with barrel vault whereas in the cruise we find vault of edge. The accesses of the church are located in the sides of the ship. The choir, located at the feet in high is supported with arch of reduced point half and is finished with an iron railing.

Outside, two slender towers stand out in the construction of which, in 1628, Fray Alberto de la Madre de Dios participated in one of the most important Spanish architects of the 17th century, introducing the first Baroque forms in Castile and author of the facade of the Royal Monastery of the Incarnation of Madrid. Arranged at the foot of the temple and topped with four-story roofs, they maintain the same type of factory as the rest of the building. They have a bell-shaped body in which arc of semicircular arches are opened on each side. Of the three original bells of the temple, stands out one that dates from 1767.

Everything that contained the temple, including the relics of St. Faust and St. Benigno as well as its altarpieces, images, ornaments and banners was destroyed during the Civil War.

The temple, belongs to the medieval style called Mudejar, made by Muslim masons at the service of Christians. The formal parallels indicate a date of the first quarter of the thirteenth century, perhaps after the Battle of the Navas of Tolosa (1212). This apse served for centuries, integrated with the rest of the building, to house the Main Chapel with the altar and the main altarpiece. It held a quarter of a sphere vault. This apse is of a unique type in the Community of Madrid, since it participates in characteristics of two Mudejar schools, one predominant in the northern half and the other in the south of the province.

The tower has several phases. The lower part could be a Muslim minaret (X or XI centuries), built for the pre-existing mosque. The body of bells, with eight caliph arches with a letter or box and horseshoe arches and pointed, could correspond to the principles of the thirteenth century, in which the apse of the temple was built. The upper part built to house the clock is much later and could correspond to the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries.

Address: Plaza de Ernesto Peces, 1, 28931 Móstoles, Madrid

www.mostoles.es

The Old Castle lies on one end of a hill, on the banks of the River Manzanares and has magnificent views of the urban centre and La Pedriza, the most important granite structure in the Sierra de Guadarrama. Built as a fortress during the Reconquest and with links to the De la Cerda family through Leonor Núñez de Guzmán, in 1383 it was transferred to the Mendoza family by King Juan I of Castile. They erected the manor estate of Manzanares. Its use and splendour diminished in 1475 when this powerful family decided to build a new castle.
The difference between the old and the new castle built in a similar style, lies in the latter’s dimensions and the use that was made of it. Where the first was meant for defence, the new castle was also a palatial residence.
The remains are open to all, although its current state is in striking contrast to the magnificent restoration that was carried out on the neighbouring castle of the Mendoza family. Exploring the bases of the ancient castle walls evokes an idea of its splendour and defensive use. Also of a quadrangular layout, we can distinguish the bases of the old towers at the corners, three cylindrical structures, with the largest one serving as the keep. Its walls, some of which are still four metres high, were built in the Mudejar style with granite masonry and linked with brickwork. The shields of the families that, through matrimonial ties, owned this castle can still be seen: Mendoza, Velasco and Toledo.
It has been declared an Asset of Historical Interest within the Region of Madrid.

Juan de Villanueva culminated with this building the closing process of La Lonja, space in which the monastery sits. Later, in 1797, he constructed the overpass that joins the Second and Third House of Trades. The building remained in good condition until the end of the 19th century. From 1874 it hosted the administration and offices of the Real Estate of San Lorenzo; to, from the mid-twentieth century to our days, to serve as private dwellings on rent basis.

Pueblo que conserva un bello casco antiguo con numerosos edificios de interés en un conjunto muy bien conservado. Destaca su plaza Mayor, una de las más representativas de estilo castellano construida entre los siglos XVII y XVIII. Es visita obligada el museo de Ulpiano Checa.
La localidad tiene una importante tradición vitivinícola que ha llegado hasta nuestros días. Son famosas las tinajas que aquí se elaboraban y que eran los recipientes utilizados para su conservación. Todavía se conservan algunos hornos tradicionales de esta original cerámica. Podremos también visitar algunas bodegas y degustar sus vinos.

En Colmenar de Oreja los usuarios tienen a su disposición el kit básico de herramientas de reparación para bicicletas de la Asociación Ciclamadrid. Pueden hacer uso del mismo en su Oficina de Turismo, en el siguiente horario:

De martes a viernes de 9 a 15h
Sábados, domingos y festivos de 10 a 14h
Lunes cerrado

From time immemorial, the inhabitants of the valley of the Tajuña have taken advantage of the course of the river to grind the wheat and the ceb

The mill is located ten minutes from the Plaza Mayor, in a pleasant walk along the pedestrianized Calle del Carmen towards the Vega del Tajuña and the exit towards Valdelaguna. Just across the river Tajuña, appears, in a beautiful place, the Mill of the Huerta de Angulo.

The mill operated until 1966, grinding cereal and generating electric energy for the town, although it did not stop completely in its activity until 1984, when it happened to be museum thanks to the municipal initiative, that recovered the old machinery of the building.

The oldest bridge in Buitrago de Lozoya, it connected the medieval quarter of the walled fortification with the neighbourhood of Andarrío, one of the most primitive in this area. It is difficult to estimate when exactly it was built, although it is said to have been between the late 14th century and early 15th century. Used as a communications and cattle route, it has a single round arch made of masonry and granite ashlar. The bridge is accessible by all.

Of medieval construction with later transformations, but surely lifted on the remains of a Roman bridge, this bridge was located on the old road of France. It has almost 150 meters and is made of limestone ashlars, masonry and granite of Colmenar. It has a large central arch and four smaller ones that open only towards one of the slopes, possibly due to the topography of the terrain next to the old course of the capricious Jarama river.

The exhibition space has three rooms, two of them for Ethnology and one for Archeology; as well as two exhibition spaces, dedicated, respectively, to the cinema and to the old photograph.

The two rooms dedicated to Ethnology show the distribution of an old dwelling with its different rooms (portal, kitchen, alcove, the courtyard with the chicken coop, the stable, the woodshed and the well) and objects made of ceramics, basketry, etc. Lace, costume, paper and culinary elements complete the whole. It is also possible to get acquainted with the different economic activities once carried out: agriculture, livestock, soft drinks, continuous paper mills, etc.

The third room shows a collection of archaeological objects coming from deposits near the municipality (the Aljibes, the Dehesa, Peña el Gato, the Camorza or the surroundings of the river Manzanares), among which are axes of stone, flint, earthen bowls , a decal of cave paintings, stone mills, remains of Visigothic tombs, medieval and modern ceramics and certain manuscripts.

The museum was opened thanks to the initiative of the City Council and the Cultural Association El Real de Manzanares, whose members donated different objects inherited from their ancestors.

Of medieval epoch it emphasizes the Tower, that today is cultural center. Located on the hill of the first settlement of the town, it was the Church of San Miguel until the end of the 19th century. In origin, of Romanesque style, it presents some Roman and Arab architectural elements, which makes suppose that it occupies the site of a Roman building reconverted, later, in mosque. From the medieval period it preserves the Mudejar apse, the wall and the tower from whose bell tower you can enjoy magnificent views.

Of Bourbon period they are the Source of the Caños, of neoclassic style and invoice of granite, ordered to construct in 1785 by Carlos III; the Bridge of the Rosary, located in the Old Way of the Escorial, called thus by an old hermitage that existed in its environs; and the old Pósito or Panera Real, whose origins date back to Fernando VI, now the Church of San Miguel.

After the Civil War, the General Direction of Devastated Regions planned the reconstruction of much of Guadarrama. Of that intervention are the Plaza Mayor, in the form of a semicircular open cobbled square, and the Quarter of Ravaged Regions. The Plaza Mayor, inspired by Brunete, is made of granite. In it they emphasize the City council, whose style remembers to the Monastery of the Escorial; the Olma, one of the singular trees of Madrid; and the bronze statue of El Abuelo. In the Quarter of Ravaged Regions, which occupies five blocks, rise several unique buildings, former residences of day laborers and cattlemen of the municipality.

Other places of interest of the old town are the Potro de Herrar, from the 20th century, and the municipal park, built in 1949 where La Nava was, a large depression of three or four meters deep.

Declared a Historical-Artistic Monument in 1983, this is one of the best preserved Muslim watchtowers in the Community of Madrid. Its origin is linked to the figure of Tirso Lodón, lord of the land of Lodones. According to a legend, he ordered his children to be hanged from the watchtower when he returned from the war against Al-Andalus at the end of the eleventh century, as a relief to the shameful way they had to treat the local people during his absence.

Symbol of Torrelodones, appears in its heraldic shield and is perfectly visible from the A-6 to the height of the km. 29. It rises majestically on a steep granite rise of the place known as Las Marias, from the Arabic Al-mariya ‘la atalaya’. Of Berber origin, it was part of the Omeya defensive system composed of interconnected watchmen who, through humades, warned Toledo of possible Christian attacks against the more advanced Andalusian populations such as Buitrago del Lozoya, Torrelaguna or Talamanca de Jarama.

Constructed of granite stone and carved in irregular blocks, it consists of two elements: the cylindrical tower, eleven meters high, and a lateral, rectangular body that serves as access.

El Ayuntamiento de Ajalvir se encuentra en una Zona de Especial Protección para las Aves, con una gran riqueza en aves esteparias. El Ayuntamiento ha editado un folleto donde se proponen diferentes rutas para la observación de aves.
La localidad forma parte de la Ruta del Toro con diferentes propuestas para descubrir el ecosistema de la dehesa y el mundo del toro en la Comunidad de Madrid.

Estación de Metro de Colonia Jardín
10, ML-2, ML-3

Inside the chapel dedicated to the Christ of the Great Power, where a statue of the sculptor jenense Antonio Begijar (1938-2002) is venerated, as well as the mural paintings that decorate its interior, realized by Alberto Pirrongelli. The new hermitage has become the main reference of the Park of the Nazarene.

You can visit inside the hermitage route. More information: 918101141/42

Torrelaguna es un pueblo monumental con un casco que se ha conservado hasta nuestros días. Son muchos los edificios singulares que podemos encontrar. Entre ellos podemos destacar la Iglesia de Santa María Magdalena, una de las mejores muestras del gótico en la Comunidad de Madrid. Podemos añadir a la lista los numerosos monasterios que se conservan en la localidad, diferentes edificios civiles y los restos de la muralla.
Situado en la puerta de la Sierra Norte, ofrece excelente rutas que, partiendo de aquí, nos permiten recorrer buena parte de este territorio de alto valor natural y cultural. Podemos encontrar también diferentes árboles singulares de notable interés.

It conserves a Romanesque sculpture of the Virgin and Child.

Today turned into a recreational area, and surrounded by a beautiful quejigar, the trough and a fountain are conserved. On the way, about 200 m before, you can see three fountains, two of which date back to the 19th century.

The building was the residence of Juan de Goyeneche, Navarrese born in the valley of Baztán that developed his race in the court of Carlos II. Goyeneche built Nuevo Baztán as an industrial complex that included this palace-church-quadrangular square, a set of dwellings and factories of glass, fabrics, etc.

The palace is of rectangular plant and presents / displays two plants, organized in architectures separated in the facades by a flat cornice. It is flanked, in its northwest corner, by a quadrangular turret. Away from the typically baroque ostentosidad is rather a peasant villa where are visible the cushions ‘a la rustica’, typical of the Italian villas of the Renaissance.

The main door is presided over by a carabinier, whose cover highlights the head of a roaring lion that holds the checkered shield of the Baztan Valley. This gate is crowned by the coat of arms of the Goyeneche.

The vestibule of the Palace gives way to a beautiful inner courtyard with a well, being lined with galleries with semicircular arches.

On the top floor are located the noble rooms of a palatial building. The palace communicates with the church through a passage located on the upper floor that leads to the rostrum located on the side of the Gospel (left), from where the presbytery and its main altarpiece are widely displayed. They are also worth visiting the wineries that are located under the Palace that now house the Interpretation Center.

It was restored between 1974 and 1985 by the architect Fernando Chueca Goitia and opened to the public in 2012 thanks to the Community of Madrid.

It is a small and simple building. It has a wooden choir sheltered with balconies and an 18th century wooden crucifix presides over the presbytery. In its interior they emphasize a relief of century XVI; a Gothic carving of the Virgin and Child; an immense display cabinet that keeps the mantle of the Virgin of the Angels; and the baptismal font (the carved stone foot is original from the 16th century). Several niches shelter the images most adored by the inhabitants of Valverde de Alcalá: the Virgin of the Angels, from the fourteenth century; the Virgin of the Rosary, of the XVIII century, San Isidro Labrador and San Antonio with the Child, baroque of the XVIII century. It crowns the whole a tower of three bodies in coated stone masonry.

Se trata de un típica localidad de la Sierra Norte Madrileña. Pero además de por su casco urbano, este municipio es conocido por conservar el Hayedo de Montejo, el bosque de hayas más meriodional de la Península, declarado por la UNESCO Reserva de la Biosfera.
El microclima existente en este punto es el que ha dado origen a este bosque tan singular en el que además de hayas es frecuente encontrar acebos. El hayedo cuenta con diferentes rutas para recorrerlo y poder disfrutar de muchos valores naturales. Por su fragilidad, las visitas a este entorno están restringidas. Para poder acceder hay que solicitar la entrada en info.reservasbiosfera@sierradelrincon.org

The Roman road of Galapagar is only a small section of the Vía 24 of Antonino Itinerary, a passage through the Sierra de Madrid, coming from Merida -Emerita Augusta- and bound for Zaragoza -Caesaraugusta-. Via eight meters wide, built with large granite slabs and curbs, the Vía 24 crossed the Galapagar border, from Puente del Herreño to Puente del Toril, from here, continue its itinerary crossing the present urban area of ​​the town .
The use of the road is verified throughout history and at different times. In 1765, the Bridge of the Toril was built by the engineer Marcos de Vierna, with a style that imitates the civil engineering works of Roman times, so that he could pass through the new road linking Madrid with El Escorial and Castilla la Vieja . Also in the eighteenth century the cobbled ramp was built, to the left of the bridge, which facilitated the passage from the old road that came from the center of Galapagar to the new Camino Real de Castilla. During the nineteenth century the old Roman road changed its use and became a cattle route, with the name Cordel de Suertes Nuevas.

In 1706, the continuous passage of the Austrian troops of the Archduke Charles in the War of Succession together with a great flood that happened that winter, propitiated the collapse of the bridge of Tielmes. Twenty years later it was rebuilt, recovering its original splendor. In 1998 it was restored by the Community of Madrid.

Practica, aprende y diviértete con actividades multiaventura en nuestros 3 centros en la Sierra Norte de Madrid: Lozoya, El Berrueco y Cervera de Buitrago. Realizamos rutas guiadas en bicicleta de montaña, alquiler de bicis, kayaks y paddle surf. Parque de aventuras de cuerdas, tirolinas, escalada, orientación, y actividades invernales como raquetas de nieve.

Si buscas actividades de ocio para tu tiempo libre, o quieres organizar un evento especial con compañeros de tu empresa, o incluso una despedida de soltero o soltera, llámanos y te organizaremos unas actividades de aventura que disfrutarás como un niño.

The construction of the best preserved castle of the Region of Madrid began in 1475 and five centuries later in 1982, it would house the ceremony of constitution of the Regional Parliament of Madrid who would prepare the Statute of Autonomy.
Built in 1475 on the remains of a Romanesque-Mudejar chapel, in the Isabelline style, it is considered the most beautiful example of 15th century Spanish military architecture. It has a quadrangular layout and is built of granite. It is surrounded by a barbican wall with arrow-holes that protected six galleries topped by four towers, of which three were circular and the fourth, octagonal. This tower keep was also called the Torre del Homenaje.
Its interior is not accessible, but you can admire the views from the walls or enjoy its tranquil garden, which recreates the gardens of its heyday.
The interior also houses a library, meeting halls and an exhibition hall, in addition to a centre for interpretation, and an audiovisual room with an interactive projection of the history of the castle. The fortress houses an interesting collection of 17th century Flemish tapestries based on sketches by Rubens, suits of armour and period furniture. It also includes other treasures such as Roman tombstones, the remains of a parish church and a 13th century cemetery.
To conclude the visit, we recommend exploring the Renaissance garden mentioned earlier, which includes an enchanted wood, an alchemical garden, grain plots and vineyards, orchards, and a maze or labyrinth.

The Museum of Stone is located in the street named Camino del Cristo, next to the Plaza Mayor and the Gardens of Zacatín, over an old limestone quarry where stone was excavated to build the church of Santa María la Mayor. The museum has an interesting collection of machinery and tools used to extract and carve stone. It also exhibits items related to other important professions in this area such as pottery, esparto grass weaving, agriculture and cattle herding, with exact replicas of a hut and a kiln for firing clay. Limestone has been quarried in Colmenar de Oreja since the 2nd century to be used in the construction of monuments and buildings such as the Royal Palaces of Madrid or Aranjuez, Banco de España or the Prado Museum. The Museum of Stone is open to visitors on Sunday and bank holidays.

The locals in San Martín de Valdeiglesias began building their bullring in 1854, completely financing it by themselves: nearly 20,000 pesetas at the time. It was built over the former Convento de la Concepción convent once home to Franciscan nuns. Due to the ecclesiastical expropriation carried out by Juan Álvarez Mendizábal in the mid-19th century, this convent almost entirely disappeared when the land was sold. Still remaining today is the main door which is used as the “triumphant exit” for bullfighting. Made of granite, it forms a large arch framed within an alfiz. It was inaugurated in 1856 although the inaugural line-up is considered to have fought in 1859. The sign has been reproduced in ceramic and now hangs on the main facade. The ring has been at the centre of many relevant events throughout its history such as during the festivals of Virgen de la Nueva in 1860, when bullfighter Martina García, one of the first women in bullfighting, participated. It’s a third-class bullring with a deeply-rooted bullfighting tradition. The all-time greats of bullfighting have come here from José Antonio Suárez, Palomo Linares, Rivera Ordoñez to José Tomás, among others. Plus, it’s been used as the background to several films. Worth noting is the fact that the “Sociedad Taurómaca de San Martín de Valdeiglesias” was constituted in 1854 to carry out the construction. The ring suffered such deterioration in the beginning of the 1950s that the Town Hall decided to buy it. It did so on 5 November 1956. Wood was used to build it following the norms of the time with a capacity for 2600 seats and a ring with a diameter of 45 metres and a 2 metre-wide alley. It’s undergone several renovations over the years. Capacity was expanded to the current 3676 in 1990.

Juan de Goyeneche devised this industrial complex, where workers were also housed, to solve two of the most serious problems of Spain at the time: the demographic recession and the very serious deindustrialization. Investing his personal effort and fortune, with the support of the monarch, would commission the project to José de Churriguera.

This one designed an urban set characterized by the use of the straight line and the angle of 90º, of track in checkerboard, that foreseen the installation of an industrial complex of population, with sufficient capacity of growth like to activate the region economically and demographically with to generate a production of luxury objects that could compete with the foreign market, reduce imports and clean up a fairly battered economy.

The urban development of Nuevo Baztán is the conjunction of two criteria that are mixed in a novel and original way: on the one hand, the area Palacio-Iglesia-Plaza, designed to reveal the power and social prestige of Goyeneche and that responds to ideological approaches of the Baroque as are theatricality and effectiveness; and, on the other hand, urbanism in a grid composed of industrial buildings, workshops, warehouses, posts that respond to a functional purpose in accordance with the rational and orderly schemes of the Enlightenment.

Taking as a starting point for our tour of Nuevo Baztán, the Goyeneche Palace can be seen the grid design, the functionality of the complex designed by Churriguera and the hierarchy with which it provided the buildings designing them from more to less as we away from the urban center, surrounded by labor lands.

Due to its location in a natural hunting environment of great wealth, the palace of Milla has been scene in addition to multiple hunts, among which stand out those celebrated between 1913 and 1917 with the contest of SS.MM. the kings Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenia, as it is credited in the commemorative plates placed in the porch of the main façade of the palace.

This presents an acceptable degree of conservation in spite of the fact that the war of 1936 destroyed much of the artistic heritage of Villanueva de Perales. Its original condition has not changed essentially except for minor modifications such as the construction of a top floor in one of the lateral pavilions.

Built with a revoked and later whitewashed brick factory, it presents a harmonic distribution of the bays, except in the façades of the patio, with a more irregular composition to be framed, in one of the wings, inside a wooden structure.

Complete the set some auxiliary buildings as they are the garages and the house of the guard.

The city was promoted by the Crown around the palace to procure all the necessary services, for the Royal Family and for its court. Thus, in 1747, the king entrusted the architect Giacomo Bonavía with the layout of the new city, which would include a hospital, churches, a market … a whole artistic and historical complex that we can still enjoy today.

Its current limits are determined by the bullring, the road to Andalusia, Infantas Street and the Foso. Of reticular structure, all its houses present similar characteristics, with two heights and big windows, and its streets are spacious and with trees.

A walk through the old town of Aranjuez allows us to enter into a singular sample of baroque urbanism. Large houses, buildings with patios, domes, palaces, convents, balconies, large squares, spacious streets that are testimony of four centuries of history and several different kings.

The House of Trades and Knights and the House of the Infants, that border the square of San Antonio; the church of San Antonio, which houses a very interesting collection of baroque paintings; the garden of Isabel II, very close to the Royal Palace; the Royal Theater; the Plaza de la Constitución; the Mercado de Abastos (Neomudéjar style); palaces like Medinaceli, Osuna or Godoy; the Hospital of San Carlos; the convent of San Pascual … The list of touristic milestones is extensive.

Every year, thousands of visitors come to know the history of Aranjuez, its culture, its gastronomy, its legacy and its incomparable landscapes.

Se encuentra situado en las estribaciones de la sierra de la Cabrera, impresionante farallón granítico de gran interés geológico, paisajístico y natural. En sus proximidades se encuentra la laguna endorreica del Carrizal, un importante reservorio de fauna.

In 1759 Charles III, who had been king of Naples and Sicily, came to the throne. He chose Aranjuez to live, as it reminded him of his Neapolitan city of Caserta and chose this enclave to develop an experimental agroindustrial and livestock project to activate progress from the enlightened perspective. Thus, in 1762 he created the Cortijo Real, similar to San Leucio, near Caserta, also of agricultural experimentation and that served as a supply of good products to the royal palace.

In the beautiful natural landscape of the Real Bosque began to break virgin lands, forming tree-lined streets to access the new orchards, artificial meadows for grazing etc. They brought from Naples cows, buffaloes, sheep, horses, oxen … and to irrigate the lands they built three caces and transformed the historical caz de la Azuda. In addition, they planted 25,000 varied trees and 128,000 strains, raising a fence to protect crops from wild animals. In 1770, King Carlos III had a house built for the director of the cortijo, royal residence, stables, oratory, stables …

Today, when entering the Real Cortijo we find an urban helmet of neoclassic style in which emphasizes the hermitage of San Isidro, in the center. Visiting this enclave allows us to admire the Real Bodega, the Plaza Mayor, the Winery and the Royal House. Its pentagonal perimeter is framed by leafy green areas. And in its environment, the hydraulic systems that distribute the water of the Tagus by the fertile plots are still active. These protected elements are the perfect excuse for a good hiker route.

The island, to the north of the palace, is a large green area that hosts a number of trees, wide avenues and several stone and marble fountains representing figures and mythological scenes. It stands out for the decorative fountains found in its walks: Boticaria, Hercules, Apollo, the Clock, the Child of the Thorn, Venus, Diana and Bacchus. All of them are surrounded by gardens composed of boxwood hedges. Castañuelas Cascade also stands out, so named for the noise that the water produces when passing through hollows and protuberances.

Considered the most beautiful of its time, the historic gardens of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez have served as inspiration to artists such as composer Joaquín Rodrigo or the painter Santiago Rusiñol. Gorgeous in any season, today they continue to captivate visitors. Each one of the gardens of the palace is representative of a style, according to the time and the taste of the monarch that ordered its creation. The cultural landscape of Aranjuez is declared World Heritage by UNESCO.

El Álamo es un pueblo de claro sabor manchego, en el que abundan las casas de labranza con cubierta de teja árabe, construidas con adobe y encaladas. Cruce de caminos, lugar de tránsito entre Segovia y Toledo, fue siempre un pueblo dedicado a la agricultura, mayoritariamente, de trigo, cebada, avena, centeno, viñas, legumbres y olivo.
Durante largo tiempo perteneció al Sexmo de Casarrubios, aunque fue cambiando de jurisdicción hasta el siglo XIX, cuando desapareció el régimen señorial. Desde hace más de 20 años, durante el puente de mayo, celebra una Feria Medieval de gran atractivo para residentes y visitantes.

The Plaza de Alonso de Arreo is within the larger Plazuela del Mercado. It is a small square that was recently built and holds the mural paintings of Alberto Pirrongelli, with mythological scenes related to wine production. The Plaza Alonso de Arreo is dedicated to the eponymous governor and native of Navalcarnero who, in 1520, joined the revolt of the comuneros along with twenty armed men, an event that was immortalised by Alberto Pirrongelli in a large mural painting. The Museum of Wine is also located here but is currently closed for renovations. The squares are accessible by all.

It follows the premises of the eighteenth century in terms of architectural ornamentation and functionality. It is conceived as an integrated space in the square, with the uniformity provided by the archery system, and serves as a connection between the historic center and the nucleus around the palace.

Only the exterior of the monument can be visited.

The City Council of Bustarviejo conserves the first Consistorial House of the locality, constructed in century XVIII, in the Place of the Constitution. By various documents and studies it is known that on the ground floor was the wine press and the wine store, which would later be barn and block respectively, and then serve as a cell. Until 1930 it housed the school. The 17th-century square was built with an original structure of steps to allow public attendance at the bullfights.

Los lienzos del castillo aún se alzan en el cerro Horcajo, confluencia de los ríos Aulencia y Guadarrama. Desde estas ruinas se disfruta de hermosas vistas de una inmensa dehesa de encinas y del Centro Europeo de Astronomía Espacial (ESAC).

De pequeñas dimensiones y planta rectangular, tiene un doble recinto de murallas, seis torres cilíndricas en las aristas de los muros y un torreón o torre del homenaje de unos veinte metros de alto. Los muros tienen un grosor de 1,50 metros y cerca de seis metros de altura. También alberga recintos subterráneos.

La primera noticia que se tiene de la fortaleza data de 1450. En el siglo XV el castillo pasó a manos de Alfonso Álvarez de Toledo, noble de la Corte del rey Juan II de Castilla, y, posteriormente, a diferentes manos privadas.

Durante la Guerra Civil sirvió como fortín en las batallas de la Carretera de la Coruña y de Brunete.

Visiting Villarejo de Salvanés is a real encounter with History. The temple of the patron saint of Villarejo de Salvanés is related to one of the most outstanding episodes in the history of Europe: The Battle of Lepanto, fought to prevent the advance of the Ottoman Empire through the Mediterranean in the year 1571.
Luis de Requesens, Major Commander of Castile, and lieutenant of John of Austria in Lepanto, promised that if the Christian forces were to achieve victory, he would build a temple in gratitude to the Virgin. And he made good on his promise.

It is part of the historic gardens of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. Considered the most beautiful of its time, they have served as inspiration to artists such as the composer Joaquin Rodrigo or the painter Santiago Rusiñol. Gorgeous in any season, today they continue to captivate visitors. Each one of the gardens of the palace is representative of a style, according to the time and the taste of the monarch that ordered its creation.

It offers beautiful views of the Lozoya Valley.

The original church has undergone several remodeling until its current configuration and today it only conserves from the primitives a lateral chapel, a magnificent pulpit of Mudéjar style, remains in the greater chapel of the vault of crucería, and a baptismal font. On the outside, the slender, ancient bell tower is striking.

This information point helps the visitor to get to know the fauna, flora, landscape and agricultural activities of the area.

The municipality obtained the title of Villa in 1564 and changed of proprietors in several occasions, among them was Juan de Goyeneche, that had great influence in the locality and created a textile industry. Another man relevant to the Villa was Pedro Páez Xaramillo, first to arrive at the sources of the Blue Nile. In 1953, the municipality acquired the current name of Olmeda de las Fuentes to the detriment of its previous Olmeda de la Cebolla. It was chosen “de las Fuentes” because of the large amount of water existing in the municipality

The natural environment of Olmeda is characterized by being located in the area known as Baja Alcarria, where the páramos, las vegas and slopes coexist. Also, it is possible to find interesting elm trees and a centenarian oak. The most significant fauna refers to birds.

The Villarejo de Salvanés castle is located in the town of the same name in the south-eastern area of the Region of Madrid. It’s a part of the Historic-Artistic Heritage Site in this villa, according to the 1974 declaration. Despite the fact that only the keep tower remains, it is a unique example of architecture in Spain as the peepholes are grouped on the sides and not on the edges as is common in Spanish military architecture. It has been restored and you can visit the inside.

It was erected with stone between the XVII and XVIII centuries and presents a single nave, cruiser and dome of half orange gallonada on pechinas. The bulrush is two bodies and houses three bells. During the Spanish Civil War much of its interior elements disappeared.

The temple, in baroque style, features elements from the 12th, 16th and 18th centuries. It has a Latin cross plant and consists of a single nave with Tuscan columns, cruiser and semicircular arches. Its walls, of masonry with ashlar masonry in the corners, are topped by an upper cornice of carved stone.

The highlight of its interior is the coffered ceiling, which has been restored, consisting of woodworking works.

In it, the miraculous image of Our Lady of the Castle is venerated, found in the ruins of the wall of the castle in the late Middle Ages, a tradition narrated by numerous romances that remain in this locality.

A short but pleasant walk with leafy trees on its sides, leads us to the magnificent and austere building of the Parish of San Bernabé, in the municipality of El Escorial.

Declared a National Monument and Well of Cultural Interest in 1983, it was erected to house the miraculous image of the Virgin of the Blacksmith who, since time immemorial (XII or XIII century) had lived in the hermitage of the forest of the same name. Work of Francisco de Mora (disciple of Juan de Herrera) is one of the first initiatives promoted by Felipe II within the plan of adaptation and urban planning of the urban center of El Escorial.

The temple, built in just two years, was inaugurated on September 21, 1595 by the bishop of Segovia, whose village and land community was then dependent on El Escorial.

Both its exterior and the interior of the church show in its pure state the characteristics of Herrerian style: geometric rigor, mathematical relation between the different architectural elements, clean volumes, predominance of the wall over the window and almost total absence of ornamentation

The temple, which has come to us as Francisco de Mora conceives it, has a rectangular floor plan structured in a single nave without a transept that is covered with barrel vault, reinforced with arches fajones.

The Corral of comedies from Alcalá de Henares, located in Plaza de Cervantes 15, dates from 1601. At that time, the carpenter Francisco Sánchez offered to build a playground or corral of comedies, in the style of Corral de la Cruz, that next to Corral de la Pacheca and Corral del Príncipe was one of the best known in Madrid. In them they represented the most popular works of the playwrights of the Century of Gold.

Alcalá de Henares has had different uses throughout its trajectory: corral of comedies since 1603, roofed coliseum since 1769, romantic theater from 1831 and cinema projections room from 1927 to 1980, year in which the City Council regained ownership. By then, almost four centuries had passed in which had forgotten its original function.

Attending one of its classical theater performances is a unique experience, as it is one of the oldest Corrals of comedies in Spain. In addition, on certain dates there are guided tours.

The devotion of the residents of Ciempozuelos for the Virgin of Consolation prompted the construction of this coquettish chapel in honor of a Virgin who also inspired the creation of the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Consolation.

Located in the place called Aldehuela Alta, it has its origins in constructions used by Císter in the XII and XIII centuries. Of the time of its construction only conserves a Gothic chapel and a pile of holy water with plateresque decoration. The complex is completed with a main building dating back to 1927, built in a historicist style with its annexed agricultural units.

The farmhouse is located on the road between Torrelaguna and El Vellón, on a private estate.

The building is located on a private estate so it is necessary to speak with its owners to visit it.

Construction on the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Chinchón began in 1534, but it was not completed until 1626.
In its interior, we can distinguish different architectural styles: Gothic, Plateresque, Renaissance and Baroque.
The church suffered significant damage to its roof and ornamentation during the Peninsular War. Francisco de Goya painted The Assumption of the Virgin, placed in the centre of the high altar in 1812, at the petition of his brother Camilo, the chaplain of this church.

Half a century of sculptures compose this collection, an initiative of the sculptor José Noja, which since 1993 has been exhibited in these locations, very close to each other. It covers various styles and techniques, from figurative art, cubism through conceptualism, abstract art, etc.

The majority of the works are of Spanish sculptors, although also they are of the rest of Europe and America. The authors represented are: Agar Blasco, Aizcorbe, Alberto Guzman, Amadeo Gabino, Aurelio Teno, Beatriz Kohn, Berrutti, Camín, Carlos Evangelista, Carlos García Muela, Carlos Prada, Carmen Castillo, Carmen Perujo, Cristóbal, Elena Laverón, Encarnación Hernández, Enrique Ramos Guerra, Ernesto Knörr, Feliciano Hernández, Fernando Suárez, Ferreiro Badía, Francisco Barón, Gaudi Esté, Gil Arévalo, Isidro Blasco, Javier Santxotena, Javier Sauras, Jesús Molina, Joan Llacer, Jorge Seguí, Jorge Varas, José Lamiel, José Luis Pequeno, José Manuel Alberdi, Jose Manuel Alberdi, Jose Noja, Lilianne Frechilla, Luis Caruncho, María Teresa Torras, Máximo Trueba, Miguel Moreno, Nassio, Wolf Noud, Pablo Serrano, Rafael Barrios, Rafael Muyor, Ramiro Arango , Ricardo Beleña, Sebastian, Teresa Eguibar, Torres Guardia, Úrculo, Venancio Blanco, Vicente Ortí, Xabier Laka and Xuxo Vázquez.

The most significant of the temple is the southern portal, currently blinded, of sixteenth-century Plateresque style with Toledo influences. Constructed of masonry, it has sillares of reinforcement in the corners and in the buttresses of the apse. The interior consists of two naves separated by semicircular arches. The central nave is covered by wooden armor with straps. In its east façade there is a belfry with three half-point spans for the bells, topped by a triangular pediment.

It is a magnificent example of a Castilian manor house, owned by the Delgado family that traces its roots back to the 18th century. Its facade has wrought iron bars and the family’s coat of arms. It is currently used as a centre for cultural activities.

An annex to the Parador de Turismo hotel in Chinchón is the church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario which once belonged to the Convent of San Agustín.
It is a Baroque church with one nave and side chapels which doubled as cells for prisoners during the Spanish Civil War.
It possesses some interesting Baroque frescoes in the transept, painted in bright colours, with borders, leaves, columns and other embellishments. In 1846 it was dedicated to the veneration of the Virgin of the Rosary. The church possesses a beautiful Baroque altarpiece which was burnt in a fire in 1929, although the Virgin’s image suffered no damage. Her feast day is celebrated every year on the third weekend of September.

In this corner is also located the monument to Jesus Casas, a costumbrista painter and Son Predilecto of Navalcarnero. In the area, the parish church of Our Lady of the Assumption is majestic and honoring its declaration of Historic Artistic Monument. Started in the middle of the XVI, it cohabits different architectonic styles like Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, classicism escurialense or Hispano-Mudejar, current this last that is appreciated in the decorations of its outer tower. If something strikes the eye is precisely this element, one of the signs of identity of Navalcarnero that, next to the Baroque spire, greet the traveler beyond the limits of the municipality.