Torrelodones is a municipality in the northwest of the

Autonomous 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 , 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 ...

. It is situated 29 kilometers northwest from 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 ...

. Because of its location between the

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 ...

and the metropolitan area of the capital, it is linked to two districts in Madrid: the agricultural area of Guadarrama and the metropolitan area of Madrid. It lies at an average altitude of 845 meters. According to the 2014 census, 22,838 people live in the municipality, distributed among seven towns. The people of Torrelodones earn among the highest per capita incomes of the Community of Madrid. Services, hotels, and construction are the main economic activities. In 2012 it had about 22,680 inhabitants. With over three colleges and four developments, Torrelodones is usually divided into two parts: the "Torrelodones town", where there is the Town Hall, and the "Torrelodones colony", where there are schools, homes and small businesses. The town has an interesting artistic and natural heritage and is part of two tourist routes 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 ...

. One of them is the Imperial Route, which partially follows the historic route used in the

16th century The 16th century begins with the Julian year 1501 ( MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 ( MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582). The 16th cent ...

by King

Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...

in his travels from the city of

to the Royal Site of El Escorial. The other is the Route through the Castles, Fortresses and Watchtowers, to which it is linked by the

Watchtower of Torrelodones The Watchtower of Torrelodones (Spanish: ''Atalaya de Torrelodones'') is an Islamic-era construction located in the Spanish municipality of Torrelodones, Community of Madrid, Spain. It was erected at some point during the Umayyad period of Al-And ...

. Torrelodones is bordered to the north by

Hoyo de Manzanares Hoyo de Manzanares is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain, and is located on the northwestern side of the community of Madrid and to the south of the Sierra de Guadarrama. It has a stable population of roughly 7,457 residents (INE 2 ...

, to the south by

Las Rozas de Madrid Las Rozas de Madrid (or simply, Las Rozas; ) is one of the largest townships and municipalities in the autonomous community of Madrid, Spain, with an area of 59 km² (22¾ sq. mi.). It is located 20 km (12 miles) northwest of the city of ...

, to the west by

Galapagar Galapagar is a town and municipality northwest of Madrid, Spain, situated in the autonomous community of the Community of Madrid. Of all the towns in the area, it was experiencing the most growth, mostly because of immigration and the conversion ...

, and to the east by

(through El

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 ...

). Historically the municipality was named "Torrelodones" (Lodones' Tower). That name led to the current name of the town Torrelodones. The name comes from, for one side, the Muslim watchtower that Muslims used during Al-andalus age to guard the city from the attacks of Christian people during the Iberian peninsula's reconquest. For the other side, " Lodon" (hack berry) is a type of tree that was really abundant in that zone whose scientific name is ''

Celtis australis ''Celtis australis'', the European nettle tree, Mediterranean hackberry, lote tree, or honeyberry, is a deciduous tree native to Southern Europe, North Africa, and Asia Minor. The tree was introduced to England in 1796.Hillier Nurseries Ltd. (19 ...

''.

Symbols

The town's badge, or coat of arms, was approved in 1979 by the "Real Decreto 3086/1979", of December 17. Its official description in Spanish is: ''EscudoPartido, primero, de plata. la torre de azur; se• gundü, de azur, la banda de oro, engolada en dragantes del mismo metal y en punta, de plata, el almez o lodón frutado de sable. Al timbre, corona real cerrada.'' This literally translates as: "Badge divided, first, of silver, the tower on azure, second, in azure, the gold band, with dragon heads of the same metal, and in peak, of silver, the hack berry of saber. On the top, a royal crown closed." The town's flag was approved by Madrid's community on the 12th of February 1992, and was designed by Julian Nieto Martin. The flag's description is: "Rectangular flag, of 2:3 ratio divided diagonally in 2 equal portions from the right top corner to the bottom left corner, blue on the top and yellow on the bottom; in the middle the officially approved coat of arms."

Urban geography

Boundaries

Torrelodones is bounded by the following: * To the north by the municipality of

through La Berzosa and some paths and roads that belong to the Parque Regional de la Cuenca Alta del Manzanares. * To the south by

through Las Matas, Los Peñascales and the neighborhood of Molino de la Hoz. * To the west by the municipality of

through several neighborhoods involved in Parque Regional del Curso Medio del río Guadarrama y su entorno. Both municipalities are separated by the Guadarrama river. * To the east by the city of

through the

Towns

Torrelodones' population is spread in seven officially recognized different towns: Torrelodones (center), Los Robles, Los Peñascales, Los Bomberos, La Estacion, La Berzosilla, El Gasco. There are othersneighborhoods isolated apart from those seven towns but they are not officially recognized as so.

Urban habitat

Torrelodones is divided in two parts: Torrelodones-pueblo (Torrelodones town), and Torrelodones-colonia (Torrelodones colony). Torrelodones-pueblo has the historical part of the municipality. It was developed in the early Middle Ages around a street that still exists now, called Calle Real (Royal Street). Through the twentieth century the town started to expand with the construction of new buildings, new business and small stores. In the late nineteenth century the Torrelodones-colonia part arose around the railway station; it is still developing. It consisted of small townhouses, apartments and villas. Both the Torrelodones-pueblo and the Torrelodones-colonia are the main social, administrative and economic centers of the municipality. They hold the 64% of the population and the vast majority of businesses, industries and services available in the village.

Climate

Torrelodones's weather is continental Mediterranean. It has cold winters with temperatures less than 5 °C, frequents frosts at nights and occasionally snows. Summers are warm, around 25 °C, and with maximum temperatures that can reach over 35 °C. The annual rainfall is more than 400mm.

Flora

The municipality has much Mediterranean flora that is typical of Spain. Trees there mainly are

Holm oaks ''Quercus ilex'', the evergreen oak, holly oak or holm oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the ''Ilex'' section of the genus, with acorns that mature in a single summer. Description An evergreen t ...

, with the occasional presence of

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

s and

pine tree A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

s, and spontaneous pine reforestation.

Wildlife

Torrelodones joins two protected ecological spaces: Sierra de Hoyo and Monte del Pardo. Animals that live here include birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. All of them are included in the ''Catálogo Nacional de Especies Amenazadas'' and the ''Catálogo Regional de Especies Amenazadas de Fauna y Flora de la Comunidad de Madrid''.

Birds

Águila imperial ibérica. (''Aquila adalberti'') (

Spanish imperial eagle The Spanish imperial eagle (''Aquila adalberti''), also known as the Spanish eagle or Adalbert's eagle, is a species of eagle native to the Iberian Peninsula. The binomial commemorates Prince Adalbert of Bavaria. Due to its distinct “epaulet ...

) is the most important bird. Aguila imperial iberica

Other birds include Picogordo ('' Coccothraustes coccothraustes''), curruca mosquitera ('' Sylvia borin''), curruca zarcera ('' Sylvia communis''), curruca mirlona ('' Sylvia hortensis''), papamoscas gris ('' Muscicapa striata''), oropéndola (''

Oriolus oriolus The Eurasian golden oriole (''Oriolus oriolus'') also called the common golden oriole, is the only member of the Old World oriole family of passerine birds breeding in Northern Hemisphere temperate regions. It is a summer migrant in Europe and ...

''), collalba rubia ('' Oenanthe hispanica''), chochín (''Troglodytes troglodytes''), pito real (''

Picus viridis The European green woodpecker (''Picus viridis'') is a large green woodpecker with a bright red crown and a black moustache. Males have a red centre to the moustache stripe which is absent in females. It is resident across much of Europe and the ...

''), mochuelo ('' Athene noctua''), autillo ('' Otus scops''), abubilla (''

Upupa epops The Eurasian hoopoe (''Upupa epops'') is the most widespread species of the genus ''Upupa''. It is a distinctive cinnamon coloured bird with black and white wings, a tall erectile crest, a broad white band across a black tail, and a long narrow ...

''), carbonero común ('' Parus major''), alcaudón real (''

Lanius meridionalis The Iberian grey shrike (''Lanius meridionalis'') is a member of the shrike family. It is closely related to the great grey shrike, ''Lanius excubitor'', and its plumage is generally similar to the great grey shrike apart from the differences not ...

''), alcaudón común ('' Lanius senator''), abejaruco (''

Merops apiaster The European bee-eater (''Merops apiaster'') is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. It breeds in southern and central Europe, northern and southern Africa, and western Asia. Except for the resident southern African populati ...

''), estornino ('' Sturnus unicolor''), rabilargo ('' Cyanopica cooki''), El petirrojo (''

Erithacus rubecula The European robin (''Erithacus rubecula''), known simply as the robin or robin redbreast in Great Britain & Ireland, is a small insectivorous passerine bird that belongs to the chat subfamily of the Old World flycatcher family. About in len ...

''), el ruiseñor (''

Luscinia megarhynchos The common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (''Luscinia megarhynchos''), is a small passerine bird best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is no ...

''), el mirlo (''

Turdus merula The common blackbird (''Turdus merula'') is a species of true thrush. It is also called the Eurasian blackbird (especially in North America, to distinguish it from the unrelated New World blackbirds), or simply the blackbird where this does not ...

''), el verdecillo ('' Serinus serinus''), el verderón (''

Carduelis chloris The European greenfinch or simply the greenfinch (''Chloris chloris'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. This bird is widespread throughout Europe, North Africa and Southwest Asia. It is mainly resident, but some north ...

''), el pardillo ('' Carduelis cannabina''), and el zorzal (''

Turdus True thrushes are medium-sized mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the genus ''Turdus'' of the wider thrush family, Turdidae. The genus name ''Turdus'' is Latin for "thrush". The term " thrush" is used for many other birds of the family T ...

spp.''). There are also some species for hunting, such as la perdiz ('' Alectoris rufa''), la codorniz ('' Coturnix coturnix''), la tórtola (''

Streptopelia turtur The European turtle dove (''Streptopelia turtur'') is a member of the bird family Columbidae, the doves and pigeons. It breeds over a wide area of the south western Palearctic including north Africa but migrates to northern sub-Saharan Africa to ...

'') and la paloma torcaz (''

Columba palumbus The common wood pigeon or common woodpigeon (''Columba palumbus''), also known as simply wood pigeon, wood-pigeon or woodpigeon, is a large species in the dove and pigeon Family (biology), family (Columbidae), native to the western Palearctic re ...

''). Among the raptor birds are aguilucho ratonero ('' Buteo buteo'') and al elanio azul ('' Elanus caeruleus'').

Mammals

The municipality shelters, especially in protected zones, ardilla roja (''

Sciurus vulgaris The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris'') is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' common throughout Europe and Asia. The red squirrel is an arboreal, primarily herbivorous rodent. In Great Britain, Ireland, and in Italy numbers ...

''), erizo europeo (''

Erinaceus europaeus The European hedgehog (''Erinaceus europaeus''), also known as the West European hedgehog or common hedgehog, is a hedgehog species native to Europe from Iberia and Italy northwards into Scandinavia and westwards into the British Isles.Harris, S. ...

''), conejo (''

Oryctolagus cuniculus The European rabbit (''Oryctolagus cuniculus'') or coney is a species of rabbit native to the Iberian Peninsula (including Spain, Portugal, and southwestern France), western France, and the northern Atlas Mountains in northwest Africa. It has b ...

''), liebre ibérica ('' Lepus granatensis''), comadreja (''

Mustela nivalis The least weasel (''Mustela nivalis''), little weasel, common weasel, or simply weasel is the smallest member of the genus '' Mustela,'' family Mustelidae and order Carnivora. It is native to Eurasia, North America and North Africa, and has bee ...

''), gineta ('' Genetta genetta''), zorro (''

Vulpes vulpes The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...

''), jabalí (''

Sus scrofa The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is no ...

''), el ratón de campo (''

Apodemus sylvaticus The wood mouse (''Apodemus sylvaticus'') is a murid rodent native to Europe and northwestern Africa. It is closely related to the yellow-necked mouse (''Apodemus flavicollis'') but differs in that it has no band of yellow fur around the neck, h ...

''), el ratón casero ('' Mus domesticus''), el lirón careto (''

Eliomys quercinus The garden dormouse (''Eliomys quercinus'') is a rodent in the dormouse family. Characteristics The garden dormouse is gray or brown, with a whitish underside. It has black eye markings and large ears. Its hair is short, and its tail has a whi ...

''), la musaraña gris ('' Crocidura russula''), el topo ibérico ('' Talpa occidentalis''), and topillo de Cabrera ('' Microtus cabrerae''). Un jabalí

Reptiles and amphibians

Torrelodones hosts reptiles such as la lagartija colirroja ('' Psammodromus algirus''), la lagartija cenicienta (''

Psammodromus hispanicus ''Psammodromus hispanicus'', the Spanish psammodromus, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. It is found in France, Portugal, and Spain. Its natural habitats are Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, temperate grassland, sandy shores, ...

''), la lagartija ibérica (''

Podarcis hispanicus ''Podarcis hispanicus,'' also known as Iberian wall lizard, is a small wall lizard species of the genus ''Podarcis''. It is found in the Iberian peninsula, in northwestern Africa and in coastal districts in Languedoc-Roussillon in France. In Spa ...

''), el lagarto ocelado ('' Lacerta lepida''), la salamanquesa común (''

Tarentola mauritanica ''Tarentola mauritanica'', known as the common wall gecko, is a species of gecko ( Gekkota) native to the western Mediterranean area of North Africa and Europe. It has been introduced to Madeira and Balearic Islands, and the Americas (in Mont ...

''), la culebrilla ciega (''

Amphisbaenia Amphisbaenia (called amphisbaenians or worm lizards) is a group of usually legless squamates, comprising over 200 extant species. Amphisbaenians are characterized by their long bodies, the reduction or loss of the limbs, and rudimentary eyes. As ...

''), la culebra de collar (''

Natrix natrix The grass snake (''Natrix natrix''), sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake, is a Eurasian non-venomous colubrid snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians. Subspecies Many subspecies are recognized ...

''), la culebra viperina (''

Natrix maura ''Natrix maura'' is a natricine water snake of the genus ''Natrix''. Its common name is viperine water snake or viperine snake. Despite its common names, it is not a member of the subfamily Viperinae. This nonvenomous, semiaquatic, fish-eating s ...

'') and la culebra de escalera (''

Elaphe scalaris The ladder snake (''Zamenis scalaris'') is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to southwestern Europe. Distribution The geographic range of the ladder snake includes Portugal, Spain, southern France a ...

''). Among the amphibians are el sapo corredor (''

Bufo calamita The natterjack toad (''Epidalea calamita'') is a toad native to sandy and heathland areas of Europe. Adults are 60–70 mm in length, and are distinguished from common toads by a yellow line down the middle of the back and parallel paratoid g ...

''), el sapo de espuelas (''Pelobates cultipes''), el sapo partero ibérico ('' Alytes cisternasii''), el sapillo pintojo ibérico (''

Discoglossus galganoi The Iberian painted frog (''Discoglossus galganoi'') is a species of frog in the family Alytidae (formerly Discoglossidae). It is found in Portugal and Spain, where its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-ty ...

''), and el gallipato ('' Pleurodeles waltl'').

Invertebrates

There are countless species of invertebrates. On record are two species of endangered Lepidoptera: el arlequín ('' Zerynthia rumina'') and la doncella de ondas (''

Euphydryas aurinia The marsh fritillary (''Euphydryas aurinia'') is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Commonly distributed in the Palearctic region, the marsh fritillary's common name derives from one of its several habitats, marshland. The prolonged larval s ...

'').

References

{{authority control Municipalities in the Community of Madrid