Soto de Viñuelas is a meadow-oak forest north 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-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, south of

Tres Cantos Tres Cantos is a municipality of Spain located in Community of Madrid. Originally belonging to Colmenar Viejo, it seceded from the latter municipality in 1991, becoming the youngest municipality in the region. The urbanised area was conceived as a ...

and

San Agustín del Guadalix San Agustín del Guadalix is a Spanish town located north of the Comunidad de Madrid, near to Sierra de Guadarrama. It is bordered by Pedrezuela to the north, the municipalities of El Molar and Algete to the east and Colmenar Viejo to the south ...

, east of the

Monte de El Pardo The Monte de El Pardo is a large forested area in Madrid, Spain, extending roughly across one quarter of the total municipal area. The Monte de El Pardo has an area of 15289.12 ha. It was already mentioned as hunting ground in the Alfonso XI's ...

and west of

San Sebastián de los Reyes San Sebastián de los Reyes (colloquially called "Sanse") is a municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1492, it is located north of Madrid. Geography It forms an urban continuum with the neighboring Alcobendas, Transport ...

, all municipalities are parts of the Community of Madrid,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Much of it is a fenced property of 3,000 hectares, which includes important ecological values, landscape and art. It belongs to the municipality of Madrid, although it contains small areas to the north, corresponding to Tres Cantos, including a development of the same name (i.e., Soto de Viñuelas). Other developments nearby are Ciudalcampo and Fuente del Fresno, situated on its western boundary. King's College, the British School of Madrid, is also located in the development of Soto de Viñuelas, abutting the Regional Park. In 1985 Soto de Viñuelas was turned into the Regional Park of the Cuenca Alta del Manzanares, the largest protected natural area in the region. It has been classified as Area B, a legal instrument that allows agricultural land use. Soto de Viñuelas also received the status of Special Protection Area for Birds. It is accessed from the M-607 Freeway (Colmenar Viejo Freeway), exit 20. Soto de Viñuelas and Tres Cantos are both listed on the exit sign.

History

The estate belonged to the lordship of Real de Manzanares, owned by the Casa de Mendoza. In the 16th century it passed into the hands of Emperor Charles I. In 1693 Soto de Viñuelas was acquired by Cristobal Alvarado Bracamonte, who rebuilt the manor house, now known as Castle Viñuelas, to facilitate the stay of Philip V. In 1751, the Spanish Crown took over the land, at the request of Ferdinand VI, who added it to the Royal Site of El Pardo. In the 19th century, after the fall of

Isabella II of Spain Isabella II ( es, Isabel II; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904), was Queen of Spain from 29 September 1833 until 30 September 1868. Shortly before her birth, the King Ferdinand VII of Spain issued a Pragmatic Sanction to ensure the successio ...

, the site was auctioned off. In the 20th century, during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

, the castle served as headquarters of the Republican Army. After the war, the mansion was chosen by

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

as his official residence, He named it the "Royal Palace of El Pardo". The farm has gone through various private hands,

Banco Santander Banco Santander, S.A., doing business as Santander Group (, , Spanish: ), is a Spanish multinational financial services company based in Madrid and Santander in Spain. Additionally, Santander maintains a presence in all global financial centres ...

and the family of Urquijo Colomer.

Transport system

The only way to arrive Soto de Viñuelas in public transport is with bus line 716, which connects it with Tres Cantos and Madrid. The other way is with local bus line L-3.

References

External links

Soto de Viñuelas bike route
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soto de Vinuelas Forests of Spain Geography of Madrid