Guadarrama
Guadarrama
The municipality of Guadarrama is located in the Sierra de Madrid, on the N-VI road of the Madrid Autonomous Community, covering an area with the shape of a bow, comprised between El Escorial and El Boalo and having the A-6 road as its axis. Because of its geographical location, it benefits of great natural wealth, as it borders the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park.
Town Hall
Plaza Mayor, 5.
28440 Guadarrama
Phone: 91 854 00 51
Fax: 91 854 10 53
Tourist Information Centre:
Plaza Mayor, 6. 28440 Guadarrama.
Mondays to Fridays: from 9.30 to 20.00. Saturdays: from 09:30 to 14.00 and from 16.00 to 19:30. Sundays/Bank Holidays: from 09:30 to 14.00.
Phone: 91 849 47 03
History
Guadarrama as a settlement dates from 1268, when it was founded by Alfonso X called “the Wise”. For years, Segovia and Madrid litigated for these lands. Guadarrama was accorded the title of “villa-villazgo” (royal burgh) in 1504. In 1799, it changed from being part of Madrid Province to being part of Guadalajara Province. Guadarrama strategic geographical location and its exceptional surroundings have infused a great commercial, natural, tourist and cultural importance to the town.
Culture
One of the most well-known characteristics of Guadarrama is its culture, which imbues a great part of the town. The houses, the cultural centre and even the Town Hall have a special touch and give the city an extraordinary charm complemented by its churches, country chapels and hydraulic constructions of centuries old.
Town Hall
Plaza Mayor, 5
The Town Hall was one of the buildings destroyed during the Civil War. It was rebuilt later on thanks to an organisation called Devastated Regions. The building forms part of the frame of the square, a frame designed as a regular octagon with five sides, with two towers at its ends and arcades on the ground floor. The building is made of stone and plastered with mud; its roof is of Arab tile and contrasts with the slate of the two towers. Its square is paved with granite stone.
La Torre Cultural Centre
Alto de la Torre, s / n.
It is built on top of what previously was the Parochial Church of San Miguel Archangel. The church was erected in the 15th and 16th centuries and suffered multiple reconstructions over time. The wall, main chapel and tower, dating from the 16th to the 18th centuries, are what is left of a temple that could have been Arab and later Roman.
The tower can be seen from the outskirts of the town. From its garden, the panoramic view of the Sierra de Guadarrama is spectacular. Currently, it hosts a cultural centre that got renovated in the 20th century.
Nuestra Señora la Virgen de la Jarosa Country Chapel
Jarosa natural site
It is a chapel recently built and located in the natural site of the Jarosa, close to the dam, in one of the most beautiful enclaves of the Sierra de Guadarrama.
San Miguel Arcángel Parish Church
Church Street, v / v Reyes Católicos, c / v Panera, 1 and 3.
It was built in the 18th century in the same place where the old royal granary (Paneras Reales and Real Pósito de la Villa y Corte de Madrid) was. It was destroyed during the French invasion, and a private citizen bought the debris and donated it to the parish priest for the construction of a new temple in the village.
The masonry of the original construction was preserved; the vault was replaced by a wooden ceiling and a slate roof. At the backside of the church, there is one of the main elements of the church that represents the art of heraldry of the time. It is an imperial coat of arms of the Old Chain House (Antigua Casa de la Cadena), and two other coats of arms of Madrid, of the same century, located on the two sides of the first one.
The stone fountain
Pza. De los Caños, s / n.
This fountain has an ornamental composition similar to that of the elevation of a baroque church. It was built in 1785, during the reign of Carlos III, as part of the Camino Real de Castilla. It used to be the main water supply point of the town. It is of neoclassical style, and in a niche, under the pediment of the auction, it holds the representation of the town’s patron, San Miguel Arcángel. In the central part, it has a coat of arms with a memorial tombstone and an inscription: “Se Constrvio/Año1785”. In the lower part, there are two lion heads through whose mouths stick out the pipes used for pouring water into two small basins. Irregular ashlars of granite were used for its construction.
Monument to the coronation – Lion´s Pass
El Leon Pass (Puerto del León)
In one of the most characteristic enclaves of the Sierra de Guadarrama, it is built as a large granite pedestal where pauses a lion holding between its paws two spheres symbolising Spain and the Indies. The following inscription is written on the pedestal: “Fernando VI Father of the Nation, made the path for both Castillas over the mountains, in the year of our Lord 1749, the fourth year of his reign”.
Guadarrama or El Rosario Bridge
Calle General Yagüe s / n.
It was built in the 18th century, during the reign of Carlos III, and was part of the Old Path of El Escorial that connected El Escorial, in the Sierra de Guadarrama with France. It is made of granite ashlars fitted together and has five arches supported by four pillars.
Festivals and traditions
Patrons and patrons are the main honourees at the Guadarrama festivals. In their honour pilgrimages, processions and less religious events such as bullfighting, concerts and other shows are organised. Guadarrama is also a place for music festivals lovers and for those who like to remember how people used to live centuries ago.
- Virgen de la Jarosa Festival: Virgen de la Jarosa is the patron saint of Guadarrama. On her day, on the 15th of August, a pilgrimage and a parade of carts built by circles of friends, to the La Jarosa Country Chapel (one of the most beautiful places in the Sierra de Guadarrama) take place. There are also numerous concerts, bullfighting events, dances, children’s shows that make the town and its visitors happy.
- San Miguel and San Francisco de Asís Festival: They are the patron saints of Guadarrama. Each one has its official day: 29th of September San Miguel Arcángel and 4th of October San Francisco de Asís. During these days, processions are held in their honour, as well as bullfights and bullfighting shows, children’s activities, dances …
Nature
The physical environment of Guadarrama can be considered the typical mountain one, as its characteristics are greatly influenced by its proximity to the Sierra de Guadarrama. Its physiography presents summits, mountain peaks and also hillsides and low-lying river areas. In the area, there are many granite stones which come from the Iberian Central System uplift. Its vegetation is varied: bushes, pine forests, oaks, poplars, ash trees and pastures. The town offers a variety of rural lodgings, as well as many hiking options and walking routes.
La Jarosa Recreation Area
Road M-614
Located in the municipal area of Guadarrama, in the Sierra de Guadarrama, on the M-614 road to the dam. Drinking water facilities, benches, litter bins, a kiosk and parking space are available in this area. In its surroundings, one can see pines, rock-roses, birds and, on a closer look even mammals such as foxes and squirrels. Outdoor sports such as fishing, hiking and cycling can be practised near the area.
Sierra de Guadarrama Visitor Interpretive Centre
Paseo de las Acacias, 1.
Sierra de Guadarrama Visitor Interpretive Centre is a point of reference for anyone interested in knowing and enjoying the cultural and natural values that the newly created National Park and the almost millenary town of Guadarrama offer their visitors.
The Centre is part of the Environmental Area “El Gurugú”, and besides the exhibition, it offers a wide variety of recreation activities, as well as adventure tourism and cultural tourism.
It is an ideal meeting point from where to start a journey riding, by 4×4, by mountain bike or on foot, a journey in which to follow the traces of the Civil War, thanks to its well-preserved routes.
Courses, workshops, exhibitions of birds of prey, astronomical observation, animation games and environmental awareness activities, a recreation area for children, and a lot of other activities are all designed to transform the time you spend in Guadarrama an unforgettable experience.
Guadarrama River Basin
Guadarrama River Basin makes up the main ecosystems of the Guadarrama riverbed and covers more than 34,000 hectares in the Madrid region. The municipality of Guadarrama covers almost the entire western half of the basin, which is of the same size as the pine forests on the slopes of the Sierra de Guadarrama, and also a strip next to the Guadarrama riverbed with a width of 100 meters on each side with riverside vegetation.
La Jarosa Reservoir
The reservoir is located in the municipal area of Guadarrama, started to operate in 1969 and has a capacity of 7.2 cubic hectometres. In its 61 hectares, it collects the waters of the La Jarosa and Guatel streams. It also receives water from the La Aceña Dam. The area of the reservoir is of tourist interest; it is a recreation place where you can make excursions on foot, fish and eat in the kiosks, and also enjoy the scenery of the Sierra de Guadarrama: woods of pine trees, of larches and Scots pines, of ash trees and oaks …
Guadarrama Viewpoint
Road N-VI, Km. 51.5 (in front of a Fco. of Assisi Hotel-Restaurant)
This viewpoint is located in the municipal area of Guadarrama. From it, one can see the slopes of Cercedilla and Los Molinos, which end with some of the most representative spots of the Sierra de Guadarrama: Siete Picos, Puerto de Navacerrada, Alto de las Guarramillas, Sierra of the Porrones, Cabeza Mediana. It is advisable to bring binoculars not to miss any detail that can be seen from this viewpoint.
The Arcipreste de Hita Rock Natural Monument
Located in the north-western end of the municipality, at approximately 1,520 meters altitude, this space was declared Natural Monument in 1930, at the request of the Royal Spanish Academy of Language, to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the Book of Good Love. The book is the work of the Archpriest of Hita and describes the trails in this area of the Sierra de Guadarrama. The monument is formed by a mass of granite scree located between the Collado de la Sevillana and the Peña del Cuervo. This space is part of the Guadarrama River Basin, which is a Site of Community Importance (SCI).
On the footsteps of the war
The landscape of the Sierra de Guadarrama, outstanding because of the value of its ecosystems and sights, also holds ethnographic elements that contribute to the understanding of this wonderful natural environment. Among them are the remains of Civil War buildings. They are undoubtedly main resources, especially in the municipality of Guadarrama. The front line in these strategic places of access to and defence of Madrid capital city left an important mark on the territory. Apart from the destruction and subsequent reconstruction of homes in the nucleus, on the slopes of the Sierra de Guadarrama, there are numerous remains of the battles.
