In the southwest of the region, about 35km from the capital, lies this town in the valley of the river Guadarrama, with a population of around 15,000.
We happen to know the exact day it was founded: the 10th of October 1499.
In 1628 it obtained the title of town, after resolving its legal disputes with Segovia.
To quote another historic fact:: it is often related that in October 1649 King Felipe IV married his niece Mariana of Austria in the young township: the couple would later be the parents of the last Hapsburg King of Spain, Carlos II.
What to See
Architecture
As far as the local architecture is concerned, don't miss the plaza de Segovia with its arcades, built in the C16th and C17th, nor the early C16th Renaissance church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, where the abovementioned royal marriage took place.This church has a Toledan style 'mudejar' tower with a Baroque spire; the interior is more interesting, decorated in Baroque style of the C17th and even C18th, with the outstanding chapel of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción. Both the square and the church together form an architectural whole which has been classed as a site of cultural interest.
Casa de la Cadena
The house called the 'casa de la Cadena', also known as Carro or Carroza de la Virgen (the Virgin's Carriage), is a faithful reproduction of the house where King Felipe and Queen Mariana spent the days immediately following their wedding.There are plenty of coats of arms adorning the facades of the town, which give an idea of its aristocratic, or al least noble, history.The local 'running of the bulls' dates back to the C17th, and takes place every September as part of the patron saint 'fiesta'in honour of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción. A monument dedicated to this event adorns the town, where the Festival of Humorous Films takes place in September and October; in 1985 the Municipal Theatre, built at the end of the C19th,was restored.
Gastronomy
Tasting the excellent sheep's cheese and eating a good roast here is almost a duty , as is buying some of the local garden produce, in particular the lettuces and chickpeas, and trying the traditional dish 'olla del segado',made with the aforementioned pulses and a delicious variation of Madrid's 'cocido' (kind of stew).
A delicious way to finish the meal would be with the local speciality cakes, made with oil, butter and sugar.
Other Facts
The town's agricultural riches mean that it occupies a leading position in the Madrid region in terms of food and agriculture. Indeed, its natural conditions, suitable for vine growing, and a longstanding tradition of wine production, have led to the area being one of the wine-producing areas which has been awarded the category (since 1990) of the denomination of origin called Vinos de Madrid. The other two areas are those of San Martín de Valdeiglesias and Arganda del Rey. The wines produced include red, rosé, white and sparkling, in general pleasantly fruity. In 2001, the Wine Museum was created, in a building which was used as a wine-cellar in the C19th.
