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115-648: The range runs southwest–northeast, extending from the province of Ávila in the southwest, through the Community of Madrid , to the province of Segovia in the northeast. The range measures approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) in length. Its highest peak is Peñalara , 2,428 metres (7,966 ft) in elevation. The flora of the Sierra de Guadarrama are characterized in the higher elevation Atlantic vegetation region with Juniper groves , montane grasslands, Spanish broom thickets , pine forests , and Pyrenean Oaks forests ; and in

230-519: A parliamentary system ; that is, the head of government —known as the "president"—is dependent on the direct support from the autonomous legislature , whose members elect him by a majority . The Statute of Autonomy of the Madrid Autonomous Community is the fundamental organic law in conjunction with (and subordinated to) the Spanish constitution . The Statute of Autonomy establishes that

345-514: A basilica in which Franco was interred. Above rises a massive granite cross — 150 m high — which is visible from as far away as 50 km. In Rascafría , in the centre of the Lozoya valley, lies the Monasterio de Santa María de El Paular ("Monastery of Santa María of Paular"). Surrounded by scenic mountainscapes, the monastery features a large cloister and dates to the late 14th century. It

460-495: A centre of the tourism trade providing lodgings, restaurants and stores for visitors. Although these municipalities are located at the feet of the mountains, they are situated below 1,200 meters. The Sierra de Guadarrama serves as backdrop for the cities of Madrid and Segovia, although Segovia is located closer to the peaks than is Madrid. The Sierra de Guadarrama has a series of valleys and zones which are of special interest from both an aesthetic and ecological viewpoint. Due to

575-471: A consequence of a long process of repopulation that took place over the course of four centuries. The feudal and ecclesiastical lords came into constant conflict with the different councils that had been granted the authority to repopulate. In the 13th century, Madrid was the only town of the current-day region that preserved its own juridical personality, at first with the Old Fuero (Charter) and later with

690-432: A distinct regional identity. Since the 1833 provincial organization, Madrid was part of the historical region of New Castile along with the provinces of Guadalajara, Toledo, Cuenca and Ciudad Real. Thus, it was first planned that the province of Madrid would be part of the future community of Castile–La Mancha (which was roughly similar to New Castile, with the addition of Albacete ) but with some special considerations as

805-514: A higher altitude close to the Sierra de Guadarrama feature a colder climate, also generally with more precipitation (particularly in the winter), with climate subtypes ranging from the Csa to the warm-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb ) and the dry summer continental climate (Köppen: Dsb ) on the peaks of the mountain range, with temperature averages below freezing point during January and February in

920-451: A hill protecting the town. It dates to the 14th century and an expansion during the 16th century. Although at one time in disrepair, the castle was restored in modern times and is in a good state of preservation. The structure is protected on all sides by its original, ancient walls, lending a medieval ambience to the surroundings. In the municipality of San Ildefonso in Castile and León lies

1035-518: A natural division between the North and South mesetas of the Iberian Peninsula , part of the so-called Sistema Central . The mountain bases are located between 900 and 1,200 metres above sea level, and the principal peaks of the range have an average topographic prominence of 1,000 metres. The range's highest peak, Peñalara , reaches 2,428 metres above sea level. The range begins in the valley of

1150-402: A population transfer from the capital to the rest of municipalities of the metropolitan area emerged. This process accelerated when the autonomous community was founded, and it took placed along a strong decrease of birth rates. The creation of the contemporary Community of Madrid was preceded by an intense political debate. Autonomous communities were to be created by one or more provinces with

1265-511: A proposal to designate the range as a national park ( Parque Nacional de Guadarrama ) has been under discussion. The aim was to protect the range from degradation caused by the heavy human traffic as a result of its proximity to large cities such as Madrid. The law that regulates the approved national park was published on June 26, 2013. Formerly two high traffic areas of the Guadarrama mountains have achieved protected nature reserve status: Over

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1380-461: A strategic military post in the 11th century. The Muslim rulers created a defensive system of fortresses and towers all across the region with which they tried to stop the advance of the Christian kingdoms of the north. The fortress of Mayrit (Madrid) was built somewhere between 860 and 880 AD, as a walled precinct where a military and religious community lived, and which constituted the foundation of

1495-409: A unified region as several lords and churches had jurisdiction over their own autonomous territories. During the 18th century, the fragmented administration of the region was not solved despite several attempts. During the reign of Philip V , the intendencia was created as a political and administrative division. Nonetheless, the intendencia of Madrid did not fully solve the problem, and the region

1610-470: A very dry summer. But, as in any mountainous zone, the climate on the mountains proper changes markedly with increases in height, and can be differentiated into discrete climatic zones. Between 800m and 1,400m, the average annual temperature varies from 9 °C to 13 °C, with a summer high of 28 °C and winter low of -3 °C. Average annual precipitation is between 500 and 800 mm, predominately in non-summer months. At this elevation, much of

1725-545: A wide distribution range (although in this case restricted by altitude) are the gallipato , the iberian spadefoot toad , the iberian painted frog , and the Spanish painted frog . Regarding the reptiles, species such as the Cyren's rock lizard , the European wall lizard , the iberian emerald lizard , the deaf adder or snakes such as the smooth snake or the Vipera latastei dwell in

1840-423: Is 6-9 °C, with a summer high of 25 °C and winter low of -8 °C. Average annual precipitation increases with the height to 700–1,300 mm, again primarily during the non-summer season in the form of snow, but between December and April. Much of the snow remains on the ground for the duration of the winter, especially on the range's north slope. Between 2,000 and 2,428 m, the average annual temperature

1955-455: Is a great variety of wildlife, with mammals such as Iberian ibex, roe deer , fallow deer , wild boar , badger , various types of weasel , European wild cat , fox and hare among others. Birds are also well represented with such specialities as citril finch and crested tit as well as the usual waterfowl, especially in the Embalse de Santillana ( Santillana reservoir ). Birds of prey include

2070-458: Is allowed every year with the felled trees used to supply firewood to local mountain villages. The westernmost area of the mountain range shows a change in species distribution and variety, with a predominance of stone pine ( Pinus pinea ) in place of scots-pine, and Portuguese oak and Holm oak in place of Pyrenean oak due to the lower elevations and higher precipitation of the region. As might be expected in such an important ecosystem, there

2185-405: Is already open, and the network is slowly being expanded further north. For much of its history, the central part of the range – including the forests and grasslands on both sides of the mountains – was associated with the city of Segovia, at least as far back as its Roman control under the name of Segóbriga . However, after the creation of the province of Madrid to meet the requirements of

2300-584: Is also the most densely populated autonomous community. Madrid has both the largest nominal GDP , slightly ahead of that of Catalonia , and the highest GDP per capita in the country. Madrid's economy is highly tertiarised , having a leading role in Spain's logistics and transportation. The Community of Madrid is almost entirely comprised in the Tagus Basin , from the Central System ( Sistema Central ) reliefs in

2415-763: Is an immense palace built to commemorate the Battle of St. Quentin (1557) , El Escorial is also an Augustinian monastery, museum, and library complex. It is in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial . Designed by the architects Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera in an austere Herrerian classical style, and built from 1563 to 1584, it is shaped as a grid in memory of the martyrdom of Saint Lawrence . The complex has an enormous store of art, including masterworks by Titian , Tintoretto , El Greco , Velázquez , Rogier van der Weyden , Paolo Veronese , Alonso Cano , José de Ribera , Claudio Coello and others; its library containing thousands of priceless ancient manuscripts; and

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2530-535: Is between 4-6 °C, with a summer high of 20 °C and a winter low of -12 °C. Average annual precipitation is between 1,200 and 2,500 mm, mostly snowfall between November and May which remains all winter and into the spring. In summary, the climate of the Guadarramas is quite humid, more so than that of the rest of the Meseta Central (Central Plateau), and generally cold, increasing with elevation. In

2645-479: Is no longer a judicial district as of 1985). These jurisdictions relate to the judicial administration, with their seat having at least one court of first instance . Madrid is the autonomous community with the highest income per capita in Spain, at €38,435 in 2022 – significantly above the national average and ahead of the Basque Country , with €35,832, Navarra , €33,798, and Catalonia , €32,550. In that year,

2760-573: Is sometimes also applied to the northern part of the main axis of the Guadarramas between Peñalara and Somosierra .) The 15 km long Carpetanos sub-range is an imposing sight, starting in the Community of Madrid at Navacerrada Pass , and averaging more than 2,000 metres in elevation all the way to the Morcuera Pass ( Puerto de la Morcuera ). From there, the Carpetanos slope downward until they reach

2875-518: Is taken from the Guadarrama River and the town of Guadarrama , both of which are located in these mountains. The word Guadarrama itself is derived from the Arabic words for 'sandy river' — composed of guad (from wadi , meaning 'river') and arrama (from ar-ramla , meaning 'sandy'). Another interpretation considers unlikely that a minor river could design a vast mountain range, and makes

2990-418: Is the highest mountain peak in the mountain range of Guadarrama , a subsection of Spain 's larger Sistema Central mountain chain which lies at the center and divides the Iberian Peninsula . Straddling the provinces of Madrid and Segovia , Peñalara reaches a height of 2,428 metres above sea level. Consequently, it is one of the most emblematic and important peaks of the Guadarramas. The eastern section of

3105-753: Is the reason why many peaks, especially in the northern and southern sections, have flattened summits, called "cuerdas" by mountaineers . For these reasons, the material making up the Sierra de Guadarrama is of more ancient origin than many other well-known mountain systems, such as the Pyrenees , the Alps , the Andes and the Himalayas . In the mid Paleozoic era (between 360 and 290 mya), an initial substratum of ancient granites and sediments started bending and metamorphizing, forming gneiss . Thereafter, approximately 290 and 250 mya during

3220-733: The Squalius alburnoides , the Cobitis calderoni and, potentially, the Chondrostoma lemmingii . Conversely the set of invasive species of fish includes pike , black bullhead catfish , pumpkinseed , zander , common bleak and black-bass . In the vicinity of the mountain peaks, oromediterranean vegetation such as Agrostis truncatula , Armeria caespitosa  [ es ] , Festuca indigesta , Jasione crispa  [ es ] , Jurinea humilis  [ es ] , Minuartia recurva , Pilosella vahlii , Plantago holosteum and

3335-645: The Thymus praecox is common. Below the summit line, shrubby species such as the Cytisus oromediterraneus and the common juniper as well as the Scots pine take over. There are also masses of black pine and the pyrenean oak situated above the domain of the holm oak. Eurosiberian flora is not common in the region, and species such as the moor birch and the silver birch are restricted to very specific humid valley areas with special climate conditions. The climax vegetation in

3450-661: The Alberche river, which divides the Sierra de Gredos into two portions, and finishes at the Somosierra Pass , which serves as the hydrographic boundary between the river basins of the Tagus and Douro rivers. The mountains contribute fluvial material to both rivers through the action of various mountain streams, such as the Jarama , Guadarrama, and Manzanares , which empty into the Tagus, and

3565-567: The Alcázar or Castle of the city. Alcalá de Henares grew in importance as cultural center since the foundation by the Cardinal Cisneros of its university . In 1561, King Philip II made Madrid the capital of the Hispanic Monarchy . The surrounding territories became economically subordinated to the town itself, even beyond the present day limits of the Community of Madrid. But it was not

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3680-830: The Atlantic Ocean , draining the waters of the Jarama River (collecting in turn the waters of the Lozoya , the Guadalix , the Manzanares , the Henares and the Tajuña ), the Alberche and the Guadarrama in the Community. This autonomous community also includes the exclave of Dehesa de la Cepeda (part of the municipality of Santa María de la Alameda ), a mostly open-area geographically located between

3795-565: The Baroque -style Palacio Real de la Granja de San Ildefonso , a royal residence actually used in summer by Spanish nobility. It was commissioned by Philip V of Spain in 1724. The palace's extensive gardens feature numerous sculptures of mythological beings, which are highly prized for their artistic value. The gardens were based on those King Philip V had known during his childhood in the French royal court . Guadarrama National Park For some years,

3910-653: The Carboniferous period , the gneiss fractured, allowed a mass of magma to reach the surface which ultimately hardened into a granite shelf tableland. In the final phase of the Paleozoic era, during the Permian period , the tectonic plate collision causing the whole mountain range to rise. Finally, during the end of the Paleozoic through the Mesozoic era (between 250 and 65 mya) and up to the present, ongoing erosion processes reduced

4025-523: The Directorio Central de Empresas (Central Companies Directory of the INE), Madrid's active businesses stand in third place nationally in terms of numbers as at 1 January 2006. The branches of activity with most active businesses are other business activities, retail trade, construction, wholesale trade, hospitality, property activities, land transport, and pipeline transport. Pe%C3%B1alara Peñalara

4140-563: The Duratón , Cega, and Eresma, which flow into the Duero. The geographical coordinates of the range's northeast terminus lies near 41° 4' North, 3° 44' West, and the southwestern end near 40° 22' North, 4° 18' West. Diverging from its main southwest-to-northeast alignment, the range has a westward-trending branch: the Cuerda Larga ("Long Rope"), or Carpetanos Mountains (Montes Carpetanos). (This name

4255-563: The Guadarrama Mountains ; they both fought for the control of the Real de Manzanares, a large comarca (shire) that was finally given to the House of Mendoza . Castilian monarchs showed a predilection for the center of the peninsula, with abundant forests and game. El Pardo was a region visited frequently by kings since the time of Henry III , in the 14th century. The Catholic Monarchs started

4370-512: The Guadarrama mountain range are cloaked in dense forests of Scots pine and Pyrenean oak . The Lozoya Valley supports a large black (monk) vulture colony, and one of the last bastions of the Spanish imperial eagle in the world is found in the Park Regional del Suroeste in dehesa hills between the Gredos and Guadarrama ranges. The recent possible detection of the existence of Iberian lynx in

4485-584: The Lozoya river (location of the El Atazar Dam ), that passes by its namesake valley. On the South slope of the peak of Peñalara, at 2,200 m of elevation, there is a series of small, protected lakes of glacial origin. Although the mountain range proper features a great number of dams , they are all of small volume. In the Segovia facing slopes, the more prominent dams are Peces, Revenga, Pontón and Pirón, while on

4600-583: The Montejo Beech Forest  [ es ] is part of the transnational Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe world heritage site. Despite the existence of a large urban area of nearly 7 million people, the Community of Madrid still retains some remarkably unspoiled and diverse habitats and landscapes. Madrid is home to mountain peaks rising above 2,000 m, holm oak dehesas and low-lying plains. The slopes of

4715-548: The Quaternary Period (1.8 mya up to the present) shaped several mountain profiles with small cirques , carved glacial lakes and left behind moraines . All three features can be found on Peñalara . Additionally, some traces of glacial passage are found in El Nevero and La Maliciosa in the form of sheepback -grooved rocks and small cirques. Finally, in the last million years, the action of glaciers caused consolidation of

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4830-488: The Sierra del Hoyo (1,404 m, 4,606 ft), the Cerro Cañal (1,331 m, 4,366 ft), and Las Machotas (1,466 m, 4,809 ft). The peaks of Guadarrama have a relatively soft silhouette, with few standing out as exceptionally larger than others in the chain: The Sierra de Guadarrama is the result of a clash between tectonic plates belonging to the South sub-plateau and the North sub-plateau, both part of

4945-525: The Spanish Court , the political designation of the mountains was distributed between the two provinces. Today the range is more often associated with Madrid , given that city's prominence as Spain's capital. The Guadarramas' role as a natural barrier has been of importance in many of the armed conflicts that have afflicted Spain. For centuries, the range constituted a border between the Christian kingdoms to

5060-499: The Spanish imperial eagle and the Eurasian black vulture . The mountain range's proximity to Madrid means it can get crowded with visitors. The range is crossed by numerous roads and railway routes. It has a highly developed tourism infrastructure, coupled with provisions for various mountain sports. This poses a threat to the fragile environment and habitats of the mountains. The name, Sierra de Guadarrama (Guadarrama Mountains),

5175-450: The ayuntamiento are directly elected through proportional representation with closed party lists and a 5% electoral threshold . In turn, the councillors are charged with electing from among themselves (by default candidates are the head of each electoral list) the Mayor presiding over the ayuntamiento . There are twenty judicial districts ( partidos judiciales ), whose seats correspond to

5290-610: The campiña is the holly oak . Some of the species that take over when the holly oak forest degrades are the "sticky shrub" , the Retama sphaerocarpa , the French lavender , the Thymus mastichina and the Thymus zygis . The lower reaches of Guadarrama Mountain Range are populated by species such as the Juniperus thurifera , the maritime pine , the Portuguese oak , the stone pine ; only in

5405-591: The confluence of the Lozoya and Jarama rivers. The highest peak of the Cuerda Larga is the Cabezas de Hierro at 2,383 metres. Between Cuerda Larga and the main extent of the Sierra de Guadarrama lies the Lozoya valley, one of the most picturesque mountain valleys of the Sistema Central, which attracts numerous tourists in the winter for skiing , as well as in the summer for other diversions. Another western branch of

5520-452: The construction sub-sector also took place. During this period the Community of Madrid stood out due to its role as centre for welcoming immigration, due to its condition as transport node vis-à-vis the Spanish geography, and due to its condition as scientific and cultural centre of the country. Like the rest of autonomous communities, the Community of Madrid is organized politically within

5635-563: The ocellated lizard , the Algerian sand racer , Spanish psammodromus , the ubiquitous iberian wall lizard , the iberian worm lizard , the Coronella girondica , the Montpellier snake ; grass snake and the viperine snake . The fish species are affected by the high number of reservoirs in the region. Among the threatened species in the rivers stand out the European eel , the iberian barbel ,

5750-453: The province of Toledo and joined that of Marid, and in 1850, when the small municipality of Valdeavero (19 km ), until then part of the province of Guadalajara , joined the province of Madrid. One of the limits so far for the growth of the capital, water supply, experienced a substantial change in 1858 following the arrival to the city of Madrid of water from the Lozoya River with

5865-577: The red-eared slider , the monk parakeet , the common snapping turtle , the rose-ringed parakeet , the American mink and the raccoon . Species described as "out of place" and with an increasing population include the black-headed gull , the lesser black-backed gull , the great cormorant and Eurasian collared dove , while the emblematic iberian ibex is presented as a case of a species "gone out of control" in La Pedriza following its re-introduction in

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5980-448: The southern marbled newt , the mediterranean tree frog or the iberian midwife toad . The common parsley frog and the Alytes obstetricans pertinax dwell in the limestone lowlands near the Tagus in the south-east of the region. Among the all-around amphibians adaptable to different heights stand out the natterjack toad , the common toad and the iberian green frog . Other species with

6095-590: The " Sistema Central " (the Guadarrama mountain range ), the southern border features a protrusion following the Tagus River in order to include the royal site of Aranjuez in the region; the eastern edge of the triangle comes from the rupture of the fluvial river basins. This autonomous community is located in the basin of the Tagus River. The Tagus passes through the southern border of the Autonomy in its path west toward

6210-469: The 19th century. Around the town of Madrid, an administrative territory was created known as Tierra de Madrid (Land of Madrid), the origin of the province that included the areas of the current municipalities of San Sebastián de los Reyes, Cobeña, Las Rozas de Madrid, Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Torrejón de Velasco, Alcorcón, San Fernando de Henares, and Griñón. Madrid was in constant strife with the powerful council of Segovia , whose jurisdiction extended south of

6325-430: The City of Madrid as the national capital city and in urban hierarchy. Its limits are those of the province of Madrid, which was until then conventionally included in the historical region of New Castile ( Castilla la Nueva ). The Community of Madrid is the third most populous in Spain with 7,058,041 (2024) inhabitants, roughly a seventh of the national total, mostly concentrated in the metropolitan area of Madrid . It

6440-491: The GDP per capita growth was 8.6%. Madrid has a GDP of €230.8 billion ($ 281 billion) as of 2018; making it the largest economy of Spain, ahead of Catalonia , where regional GDP amounted to €228.7 billion and the most populated Spanish region, Andalusia (€160.6 billion). In 2005, the Community of Madrid was the main receptor of foreign investment in the country, at 34.3% of the total. The community ranks 34th amongst all European regions (evaluated in 2002), and 50th amongst

6555-429: The Government Sub-delegate, the successor office to the provincial civil governor. The seats of both the delegation and the subdelegation are located at the Borghetto Palace  [ es ] in Madrid. The Community of Madrid, following the long-standing form of local government in Spain , is divided administratively into 179 municipalities (featuring 801 towns and entities). Its municipalities comprise 2.2% of

6670-452: The Guadarramas, La Mujer Muerta ("The Dead Woman"), or Sierra del Quintanar (Quintanar Mountains), begins at the Fuenfría Pass (Puerto de la Fuenfría), and is located entirely in the province of Segovia. It is 11 km long and has several summits surpassing 2,000 metres, among them, the Montón de Trigo ("Wheat Pile"). In addition to the Cuerda Larga and La Mujer Muerta , a series of small mountains or foothills are located on

6785-522: The Iberian Peninsula's larger Meseta Central (Central Plateau). The mountain range was formed during the Cenozoic era (starting 66 million years ago), although the predominant material of which the mountains are composed ( granite shelf tableland) was preexisting, having been laid down during the Variscan orogeny during the Paleozoic era when the continental collision between Laurasia and Gondwana occurred to form Pangaea . The mountains have undergone significant erosion since their formation, which

6900-451: The Lozoya Valley in the late 19th century intending to achieve a purer water from the river, that provided the capital with water for consumption. However, the bulk of the process took place after the Spanish Civil War, with a largely successful repopulation with several species of conifers . The Madrid region features a climate marked by dry summers, while average temperature varies with altitude, marking different climate subtypes. Most of

7015-436: The Madrid facing slopes are found the Tobar, Jarosa, Navacerrada and Pinilla. Outside the boundaries of the mountain range, in the Community of Madrid, there are three dams of much greater size: the Valmayor, Santillana and Pardo. The flora and fauna of the Sierra de Guadarrama is very diverse, reflecting something of a synthesis between species common to the mediterranean landscape and climate of Spain's Central Plateau, and

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7130-418: The Royal Fuero , granted by Alfonso X of Castile in 1262 and ratified by Alfonso XI in 1339. On the other hand, the town of Buitrago del Lozoya , Alcalá de Henares and Talamanca de Jarama , which were rapidly repopulated until that century, were under the dominion of the feudal or ecclesiastical lords. Specifically, Alcalá de Henares was under the hands of the archbishopric of Toledo and remained so until

7245-592: The Somosierra pass, through which runs the Autovía del Norte , along with the Madrid to Irun railway. The mountains are crossed by separate rail routes between Madrid and Ávila , Segovia and Burgos , connecting the capital to the north of the country. These lines are already considered antiquated, and will be partially replaced with the new high speed Alta Velocidad Española ("Spanish High Speed") trains, with tunnels between Miraflores de la Sierra and Segovia. The AVE can achieve speeds of up to 300 km/h on dedicated tracks. The AVE route between Madrid and Segovia

7360-400: The Spanish territory (8,110). It is ranked 23rd amongst Spanish provinces in number of municipalities, which is slightly above average. The average is 165 municipalities by province. The ayuntamiento , presided by its alcalde (Mayor) is the formal institution charged with the government and administration of most municipalities. The municipal councillors forming the deliberative assembly of

7475-413: The altitude ranges from 2,428 metres of Peñalara to 430 metres at the Alberche river when it leaves Villa del Prado into the province of Toledo. Other considerable heights, as well as being famous, are the Bola del Mundo ("Ball of the World") in Navacerrada , at a height of 2,258 m, the Siete Picos ("Seven Peaks") in Cercedilla , at 2,138 m, and the Peña Cebollera (2,129 m) at

7590-410: The area between the Cofio and Alberche rivers is testament to the biodiversity of the area. Taking advantage of the orography, there are several reservoirs and local dams, with the Santillana reservoir being the largest. When looking at a map of the province of Madrid, it can be seen that it is almost an equilateral triangle, in whose center would be the city. First, by the western side, it borders

7705-402: The centre of the Iberian Peninsula , and of the Central Plateau ( Meseta Central ). Its capital and largest municipality is the City of Madrid , which is also the capital of the country. The Community of Madrid is bounded to the south and east by Castilla–La Mancha and to the north and west by Castile and León . It was formally created in 1983, in order to address the particular status of

7820-399: The centuries, several myths and legends about the region have developed: 40°51′00″N 3°57′00″W  /  40.850°N 3.950°W  / 40.850; -3.950 Community of Madrid The Community of Madrid ( Spanish : Comunidad de Madrid [komuniˈðað ðe maˈðɾið] ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain . It is located in

7935-459: The city. It soon became the most strategic fortress in defense of the city of Toledo above the fortresses of Talamanca and Qal'-at'-Abd-Al-Salam (Alcalá de Henares). In 1083 (or 1085) Alfonso VI took the city of Madrid in the context of his wider campaign to conquer Toledo. Alcalá de Henares fell in 1118 in a new period of Castilian annexation. The recently conquered lands by the Christian kingdoms were desegregated into several constituencies, as

8050-414: The competences of the old " Diputación Provincial " and the new ones the Statute considered. During the first 25 years of the "autonomic" period, this autonomous community accounted for the biggest economic growth in Spain, becoming a platform for the internationalisation of the Spanish economy , featuring a marked preponderance of the service sector . By the turn of the 21st century, a strong boost to

8165-403: The complex has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site . In the north face of Monte Abantos , surrounded by thick pine groves, is the Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos ("Holy Cross of the Valley of the Fallen"). Conceived by General Francisco Franco to honour those killed during the Spanish Civil War , the monument contains beneath it the remains of 40,000 fallen soldiers, as well as

8280-582: The construction of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez . In the 16th century, San Lorenzo de El Escorial was built and became another royal site of the province. The town of Madrid, which was one of the eighteen cities with the right to vote in the Cortes of Castile , was seat of the Courts themselves on several occasions and was the residence of several monarchs, amongst them the emperor Charles I who reformed and expanded

8395-421: The creation of many social, economic, and cultural institutions, some of which are still operating. Madrid grew to a population of 156,672 inhabitants by the end of the eighteenth century. The current territory of the region was roughly defined with the 1833 reorganization of Spain into provinces promoted by Javier de Burgos , in which the province of Madrid was classified in the region of New Castile (lacking

8510-502: The elevation. Largely undisturbed oak tree groves are found at an elevation of 1,000 to 1,300 metres. From 1,100 metres to 2,000 metres, the slopes are dominated by wild pine forests. From 2,000 metres up to the summit, the vegetation consists of more sparsely distributed, low-lying bushes particular to high elevations. The animal habitation of the mountain is made up of small mammals, a large variety of insects and various bird species such as eagles and vultures. This article about

8625-487: The high mountain pastures, in the subalpine and mountainous flats, are some of the best natural scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris ) forests in Spain. Below the pine forests, the middle elevations are covered by groves of Pyrenean oak ( Quercus pyrenaica ), which sometimes encroach on the higher pine belt; this is problematic as Pyrenean oak have a protected conservation status and cannot be felled without dispensation from national park authorities. Nevertheless, controlled logging

8740-417: The home of the national capital. The other provinces that were to become part of the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha expressed fears of inequality if Madrid were associated with them. These provinces opposed such a special status, and after considering other options for Madrid—like its inclusion in the community of Castile and León or its constitution as an entity similar to a federal district . —it

8855-578: The impressive Spanish imperial eagle and Eurasian black vulture . In fact, the animal species inhabiting the Guadarramas represent 45% of the fauna of Spain and 18% of those in Europe as a whole. The Guadarramas are also a migration route for many species of bird including crane and black stork. Endangered species that inhabit the range include Spanish imperial eagle and the Eurasian wolf . The Guadarramas have climatic features , characterized by considerable temperatures changes between summer and winter and

8970-451: The inauguration of the bringing of the Canal de Isabel II . In decadence since the middle 18th century, the city of Alcalá de Henares , experienced a relative demographic and economic upturn in the second half of the 19th century, based on its newly acquired condition of military outpost, to which an embryonic industrial nucleus was also added. During the reign of Ferdinand VII the south of

9085-428: The large quantity of people who wish to live near the mountains. The most important cities are San Lorenzo de El Escorial , Guadarrama , Navacerrada , Cercedilla , Manzanares el Real , Miraflores de la Sierra and Rascafría in the Community of Madrid, and Los Ángeles de San Rafael and San Ildefonso in the province of Segovia. These towns are departure points for accessing the nearby mountain slopes and function as

9200-464: The later any sort of administrative institution at the regional level nonetheless). The government institution at the provincial level was the deputation ( diputación ). In addition to the former body, another provincial political authority was the civil governor discretionarily designated by the central government. Two modest changes to the 1833 provincial boundaries that concerned Madrid took place shortly before 1845, when Aranjuez (187 km ) left

9315-573: The later case. The territory of the Community of Madrid has been populated since the Lower Paleolithic , mainly in the valleys between the rivers of Manzanares , Jarama , and Henares , where several archaeological findings have been made. Some notable discoveries of the region the bell-shaped vase of Ciempozuelos (between 1970 and 1470 BCE), from the Bell beaker culture . During the Roman Empire ,

9430-418: The lower elevation Mediterranean vegetation region by Holm oak forests . while the pastures around the summits are fringed by juniper and Spanish broom shrubs. The mountains abound with a variety of wildlife such as Iberian ibex , roe deer , fallow deer , wild boar , badger , various types of weasel , European wild cat , fox and hare . The area is also rich in birdlife, including birds of prey such as

9545-449: The more specialized plants and animals native to the higher altitude and mountainous terrain of the Pyrenees and Alps . The high slopes of the mountains are covered in Alpine grasses and are extensively used as grazing land for cattle. The meat that these cattle produce is of excellent quality and is specially denominated and certified as Ternera de Guadarrama ("Veal of Guadarrama"). Below

9660-623: The most competitive cities-regions worldwide, ahead of Barcelona and Valencia , the other two largest metropolitan areas of Spain. The strengths of the economy of the community are its low unemployment rate, its high investment in research, its high development, and the added-value services therein performed. Its weaknesses include the low penetration of broadband and new technologies of information and an unequal male to female occupation. The service, construction, and industry sectors are prominent in Madrid's commercial productive structure. According to

9775-457: The mountain heights. At the lower reaches of the mountains the European pond turtle and the Brediaga's skink can be found, while the western false smooth snake is restricted to areas in the south of the region. Among the species of all-around reptiles, adaptable to different biomes stand out the Spanish pond turtle , the salamanquesa , the western three-toed skink , the spiny-footed lizard ,

9890-626: The mountain lies in the municipality of Rascafría in the province of Madrid, belonging to the Valle of Lozoya , and its western section is located in the Valle of Valsaín in the province of Segovia. The peak's summit is a designated natural park known as the Parque Natural de Peñalara , which features several small lakes and some steep escarpments . The outline of Peñalara is rounded, displaying few underhangs. The hillsides of this mountain are covered with different types of vegetation, depending on

10005-620: The mountains and terminates at the Fuenfría Pass. Although the road is still present with some original stone, it was rendered obsolete by roads built during the mid-18th century: the Guadarrama Pass, or "del León" route, serviced by national highway six, running from Madrid to Coruña (although another freeway, AP-6, which tunnels through the mountains, can also be used); the Navacerrada Pass highway passage between Madrid and Segovia; and

10120-533: The mountains' summits. The Guadarramas, as a result of their proximity to high population centres of cultural and educational importance, was one of the first areas of Spain where natural resources and the study of nature came to be valued, both for economic and educational reasons. This culminated in the establishment of the Institución Libre de Enseñanza (Free Institution of Education) in 1876, which advocated an assimilation into Madrid's cultural values of

10235-409: The municipalities of Alcalá de Henares , Alcobendas , Alcorcón , Aranjuez , Arganda del Rey , Collado Villalba , Colmenar Viejo , Coslada , Fuenlabrada , Getafe , Leganés , Madrid , Majadahonda , Móstoles , Navalcarnero , Parla , San Lorenzo de El Escorial , Torrejón de Ardoz , Torrelaguna , Valdemoro , and Valdaracete (the historical judicial district of San Martín de Valdeiglesias

10350-577: The name derive from the Latin aquae dirrama , meaning 'water divide', which very aptly describes the position of the sierra between the two largest water basins in the Iberian Peninsula , those of the Douro , to the north, and of the Tagus , to the south. In the Middle Ages, this mountain range was called Sierra del Dragón ('dragon range') because of the profile of Siete Picos mountain. The Guadarramas form

10465-465: The nearby mountain range's natural beauty. By the 1920s, there was a call to declare the entire range a protected national park ; a notion that is still unrealized but has support today. The magnificent scenery, the balmy summer climate and, especially, the proximity to Madrid and Segovia have resulted in the erection of many striking buildings and monuments on the hillsides of the Sierra de Guadarrama. The Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial ,

10580-424: The network of rivers crisscrossing the mountain slopes, carved valleys and terraces resulting in the current appearance of the landscape. The Sierra de Guadarrama is surrounded by prominent population centres, which feature many second residences, occupied during holiday periods. The population pressure on and nearby the southeast slopes of the mountains near the Community of Madrid is very high, motivated partly by

10695-536: The north and Muslims kingdoms to the south, during the times of Reconquest . The legacy of that epoch can be seen in the splendid medieval walled cities occupying both sides of the mountains, such as Buitrago del Lozoya and Manzanares el Real in Madrid, and the Castillo de Pedraza in Segovia. In 1808, during the Peninsular War fought by Spain against invaders from France, the Battle of Somosierra took place at

10810-717: The north and northwest to the Tagus River bed in the southern border. The climate is generally temperate, ranging from mediterranean to semi-arid , except in the Central System highlands. It contains four World Heritage Sites : the Monastery and Royal Site of El Escorial , the university and historic centre of Alcalá de Henares , the cultural landscape of Aranjuez and the Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro park in Madrid City. In addition,

10925-456: The northernmost end of the province, a tripoint between the Madrid region and the provinces of Segovia and Guadalajara. Among the protected species of birds nesting in the region stand out the Spanish imperial eagle , the golden eagle , the Bonelli's eagle , the cinereous vulture , the peregrine falcon and the black stork . Exotic invasive species of birds and mammals in the region include

11040-470: The peaks the wind is usually very intense and thunderstorms in the mountains are more frequent than in the plateau. As it forms a natural barrier, the Guadarramas is crossed by important routes through the mountains linking the north and south of the Iberian Peninsula. The routes date back to Roman times with the construction of their famous roads , one of which starts in the town of Cercedilla, crosses

11155-520: The period of the Visigothic Kingdom , the region lost its importance. The population was scattered amongst several small towns. Complutum was designated the bishopric seat in the 5th century by orders of Asturio, archbishop of Toledo , but this event was not enough to bring back the lost splendor of the city. The centre of the peninsula (the Middle Mark of Al-Andalus or aṯ-Ṯaḡr al-Awsaṭ ) became

11270-561: The periphery of the main range. Notably, in the Segovia area, there are the Cerro (hill) de las Cardosillas (1,635 m, 5,364 ft), the Cerro de Matabueyes (1,485 m, 4,872 ft), the Cerro del Caloco (1,565 m, 5,134 ft), and the Sierra de Ojos Albos (1,662 m, 5,452 ft); and, in the Madrid area (from north to south), there are the Cerro de San Pedro (1,423 m, 4,668 ft),

11385-649: The powers through which the self-government of the autonomous community is exercised are the following institutions: Since the creation of autonomous communities, the Government of Spain appoints a special representative to each autonomous community, the Government Delegate , part of the Peripheral State Administration. Unlike other single-province autonomous communities, the Government also appoints

11500-419: The precipitation falls as snow, between December and February, although there are always exceptions, and the snow rarely remains unmelted for more than three days. It is in this region that all cities and the majority of people live; this also means that of all distinguished elevations, it is the most susceptible to damage from human traffic and intrusion. Between 1,400 and 2,000 m, the average annual temperature

11615-546: The province was made up of small agricultural settlements of limited population. Among them, Getafe stood out in population, and became the seat of a judicial district in 1834, with the main economic activity of the former jurisdiction still being non-irrigated agriculture. Rail transport arrived in 1851, with the Strawberry train , the railway connecting Madrid and Aranjuez . During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939),

11730-451: The provinces of Ávila and Segovia in the autonomous community of Castile and León . The Province of Madrid occupies a surface area of approximately 8,028 km (3,100 sq mi) (1.6% of all Spanish territory). More specifically, the exact position of Madrid is 3° 40' of longitude west of Greenwich , England, and 40° 23' north of the equator. Most of the province lies between 600 and 1,000 m above sea level. However, there

11845-433: The proximity of Madrid's metropolitan area to the Guadarramas, many such special interest zones are host to a large number of mountain climbers and general interest tourists the year round. The most heavily visited areas are the Parque Natural de Peñalara (Peñalara Natural Park ) and La Pedriza , an unusual mountain formation. The climate of the Sierra de Guadarrama is marked by heavy precipitation which gives birth to

11960-408: The range's Somosierra Pass, where the Spanish were defeated by Napoleonic troops composed principally of Polish lancers. Likewise, in the Battle of Guadarrama during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) the range comprised an important front with skirmishes fought in the mountain passes between the loyalist and the rebel faction . Today, trenches and gun emplacements still survive along the line of

12075-559: The region (including the capital) has a climate intermediate between a hot-summer mediterranean climate ( Köppen Csa ) and a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk ), with a dry summer and a moderate to low amount of rain primarily distributed throughout the rest of the year (in the case of the capital, roughly an equinoctial pattern of precipitation maximums), as well as summer temperature averages over 22 °C (with daily maximums consistently surpassing 30 °C in July and August). The areas at

12190-501: The region in 1990 after roughly a century disappeared from the Madrilenian mountains. The mountain amphibians living at a high altitude include the fire salamander , the marbled newt , the alpine newt , the iberian frog , the European tree frog or the common midwife toad . At a middle elevation in the mountain reaches close to water streams there are species such as the Bosca's newt ,

12305-566: The region was part of the Citerior Tarraconese province, except for the south-west portion of it, which belonged to Lusitania . It was crossed by two important Roman roads, the via xxiv-xxix (joining Astorga to Laminium and via xxv (which joined Emerita Augusta and Caesaraugusta ), and contained some important conurbations. The city of Complutum (today Alcalá de Henares ) became an important metropolis, whereas Titulcia and Miaccum were important crossroad communities. During

12420-475: The rims of Guadaramma mountain peaks and in some of their interior caves. Limestone formations are evident at a number of the peaks, notably El Vellón , La Pinilla and Patones . Other processes were in play during the Cenozoic era that shaped the present form of the Guadarramas. The erosion of the rocky massif provoked sedimentation which filled the mountain basins with sandstone . The action of glaciers during

12535-501: The size and smoothed and rounded the profile of the mountains of the Guadarramas. It was also during this geologic era that an ocean shift took place, causing the present-day location of the mountains to be part of the ocean for a time. It is possible that the then-peak formations were only small islands, barely rising above the level of the ocean. This accounts for the presence of limestone (a sedimentary rock formed predominately from calcite derived from marine organisms ) found in

12650-457: The somewhat more humid westernmost end of the region, near the Alto del Mirlo  [ es ] , there are forests of chestnut tree . 54,4% of the surface of the region is soil categorised as forest areas of which the 51.4% (27.7% of the total of the region) it is already covered by forests, so there is room for tree re-population. The first modest efforts towards tree re-population were taken in

12765-461: The territory was divided by the battlefront, with the southwest of the province controlled by the rebel faction , and the capital as well as a great part of the rest of the province by the side loyal to the Republic . The city of Madrid was target of many bombings during the conflict, becoming the first big city in Europe to suffer such systematic and massive air attacks. Since the 1970s, a process of

12880-497: The territory's numerous streams and rivers. There are several rivers of special relevance. The range's Segovia facing slopes give rise to the Moros and Eresma rivers, with the latter flowing through the City of Segovia . The Madrid facing slopes give rise to the Guadarrama river (from which the range and the town of Guadarrama take their names), the Manzanares river , that passes by Madrid, and

12995-406: Was constructed at the behest of king Henry II of Castile and in 1876 was declared a Spanish National Monument. Manzanares Castle is a medieval fort in the municipality of Manzanares el Real , at the foot of La Pedriza . It is composed of several cylindrical towers and dates to the 15th century. In the town of Pedraza, is a namesake medieval castle, Castillo de Pedraza . The citadel rises on

13110-525: Was decided that the province of Madrid would become a single-province autonomous community by virtue of Article 144 of the Constitution, which empowers the Cortes to create an autonomous community in the "nation's interest" even if it did not satisfy the requirement of having a distinct historical identity. Thus, in 1983, the Community of Madrid was constituted and a Statute of Autonomy was approved taking over all

13225-482: Was still fragmented into several small dominions even though some processes were centralized. This territorial dispersion had a negative effect on its economic growth; while the town of Madrid received economic resources from the entire country as the capital, the surrounding territories—in hands of noblemen or the clergy—became impoverished. During the eighteenth century, the town of Madrid was transformed through several grandiose buildings and monuments as well as through

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