Pozuelo de Alarcón () is a municipality in the
Community of Madrid
The Community of Madrid (; es, Comunidad de Madrid ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain. It is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, and of the Central Plateau (''Meseta Central''). Its capital and largest munici ...
, Spain. Bordering the
Moncloa-Aravaca
Moncloa-Aravaca is a district of the municipality of Madrid, Spain. It is located to the northwest of the city centre, spanning across both banks of the Manzanares. It is made up of the neighborhoods of Aravaca, Argüelles, Casa de Campo, Ciuda ...
district of
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
proper to its west, Pozuelo de Alarcón is surrounded by large Mediterranean pine-tree forests: the
Casa de Campo
The Casa de Campo (, for Spanish: ''Country House'') is the largest public park in Madrid. It is situated west of central Madrid, Spain. It gets its name 'Country House' because it was once a royal hunting estate, located just west of the Ro ...
, the Monte del Pardo, and the Monte del Pilar. , it ranks as the wealthiest municipality in Spain. La Finca, an isolated luxury residential area known by its affluent residents, most notably football players, lies within the municipality bounds.
History
Pozuelo has become a low-density residential area during recent decades, as new residential developments have spread over formerly agricultural lands. New transportation infrastructure is approved by the local government. Notable infrastructure developments include the M-40 (the second, counting outwards, of Madrid's ring motorways) and the new 'Metro Ligero' (light rail) line
ML2 of the Madrid metro system, which was built in summer 2007 to connect Pozuelo with the
Aluche
Aluche is a barrio of the city of Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-la ...
district in the city of Madrid. Two stations also serve Pozuelo: "Pozuelo" and "El Barrial-Centro Commercial Pozuelo" of the Madrid area local train system, the "
Cercanias". Road access is provided by the
A6 and the
M503, with the Madrid orbital
M40 running to the west.
Pozuelo has one of the highest average per capita incomes in Madrid. According to a report by the Institute of Statistics of the Comunidad de Madrid, Pozuelo's average income level ranks highest, by a notable margin, amongst the municipalities of the Region of Madrid.
Pozuelo has a number of urban parks, some of them elongated and serving to separate different areas of the town. The Avenida de Europa is an urban development designed around a wide boulevard.
A distinctive religious building in the municipality is the Roman Catholic , a post-conciliar brick building by
Fernando Higueras
Fernando de Higueras Díaz (November 26, 1930 – January 30, 2008) was a Spanish architect. He was one of the most famous architects in the world during the 1970s. He was born in Madrid. He graduated as an architect from the Superior Techni ...
.
A conservative stronghold, the
''ayuntamiento'' (the local government institution) has been ruled by political conservatives since the first democratic elections of the modern Spanish democracy took place. The current mayor, Susana Pérez, was elected in 2016. Among the notable people that have lived there are former
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
player
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...
, who lived there for nine years, and
Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz may refer to:
People
* Carlos Sainz Sr. (born 1962), Spanish rally driver world champion, father of Jr.
* Carlos Sainz Jr. (born 1994), Spanish Formula One driver, son of Sr.
Other uses
* '' Carlos Sainz: World Rally Championship'', 1 ...
, a Spanish World Rally Champion. Sainz was also the first person to be made an honorary citizen of the town in 2010.
The local festivities, the "Fiestas Patronales", take place in July and in the beginning of September. The municipality also celebrates las "Fiestas del Carmen", "Fiestas de San Sebastián", "Fiestas de La Virgen de Consolación", and "Fiestas de Navidad".
Climate
Temperatures in Pozuelo de Alarcón are cooler than Madrid's all year round due to its proximity to Madrid's
Sierra de Guadarrama
The Sierra de Guadarrama (Guadarrama Mountains) is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges along the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is located between the systems Sierra de G ...
Mountains, about 30 kilometers northwest of Pozuelo.
International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
Pozuelo de Alarcón is
twinned with:
*
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...
, Poland
*
Issy-les-Moulineaux
Issy-les-Moulineaux () is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France, lying on the left bank of the river Seine. Its citizens are called ''Isséens'' in French. It is one of Paris' entrances and is located from Notre-Dame Cath ...
, France
*
Recanati
Recanati () is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Macerata, in the Marche region of Italy. Recanati was founded around 1150 AD from three pre-existing castles. In 1290 it proclaimed itself an independent republic and, in the 15th century, ...
, Italy
*
Naucalpan de Juárez
Naucalpan, officially Naucalpan de Juárez, is one of 125 municipalities located just northwest of Mexico City in the adjoining State of Mexico. The municipal seat is the city of Naucalpan de Juárez, which extends into the neighboring municipal ...
, Mexico
*
Bir Lehlou
Bir Lehlou (also transliterated ''Bir Lahlou'', ''Bir Lehlu'' Arabic: بئر الحلو) is an oasis town in north-eastern Western Sahara, 236 km from Smara, near the Mauritanian border and east of the border wall, in Polisario Front-held terr ...
, Western Sahara
*
Xicheng (Beijing), China
Education
The educative offer is quite wide in the area, with a big number of both private and charter schools. There is also a significant number of bilingual schools, with The
American School of Madrid
The American School of Madrid (ASM) was founded in 1961. It is a private, K-12 international school in Madrid, Spain.
History
The American School of Madrid was founded in 1961 by members of The American Club in Madrid.
It was initially l ...
and the British Council amongst them. The Liceo Sorolla, Colegio Everest, and Retamar School are also other schools located in Pozuelo de Alarcón.
Regarding university education, a secondary campus of the public
Complutense University of Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid ( es, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; UCM, links=no, ''Universidad de Madrid'', ''Universidad Central de Madrid''; la, Universitas Complutensis Matritensis, links=no) is a public research university loca ...
(UCM), the , comprising the faculties of Psychology, Economics and Businesses, Political Sciences, Sociology and Social Work, is located in Pozuelo de Alarcón.
The
Francisco de Vitoria University
Francisco de Vitoria University ( es, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria) is a private university located in Pozuelo de Alarcón, in the Community of Madrid, Spain. It is a Roman Catholic institution run by the Legion of Christ. It is named after ...
(UFV), a private university run by the
Legion of Christ
The Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ ( la, Congregatio Legionariorum Christi; abbreviated LC; also Legion of Christ) is a Roman Catholic clerical religious order made up of priests and candidates for the priesthood established by Marci ...
, and the
ESIC University
ESIC University (ESIC Business & Marketing School) is a private university located in Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain, specialized in Marketing, Management and Digital Business.They are also found throughout Spain in cities such as Malaga, Barcelona, ...
, which is a business and marketing university, are also located in the municipality.
People
The ''Hijo Adoptivo'' ("adopted son/daughter") honorary title, bestowed by the local government to standout people connected to the municipality but not born in it (as opposed to the equivalent ''Hijo Ilustre'' title, bestowed on standout people born in the municipality) has been granted to rally driver
Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz may refer to:
People
* Carlos Sainz Sr. (born 1962), Spanish rally driver world champion, father of Jr.
* Carlos Sainz Jr. (born 1994), Spanish Formula One driver, son of Sr.
Other uses
* '' Carlos Sainz: World Rally Championship'', 1 ...
(2010).
References
Ficha municipal = Municipality Summary Sheet from the Institute of Statistics of the Comunidad de Madrid (in Spanish)Pozuelo website: news, culture, stores and companies...
Notes
External links
Google MapMirador de Pozuelo - Pozuelo's Independent Newspaper
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pozuelo De Alarcon
Municipalities in the Community of Madrid