Carabaña () is a small municipality in the autonomous community of

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

in central

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. It is located 50 km from

close to the

Autovía A-3 The Autovía A-3 (also called ''Autovía del Este'') () is a Spanish autovía that starts in Madrid and ends in Valencia, Spain, Valencia. It is the shortest of the six radial autovías stemming from Madrid, at 355 km (220.5 miles), and the ...

, the main highway to

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

, on the banks of the Tajuña River at a height of 625 m above sea level. As of 2006 it had a population of 1,681.

History

Carabaña was on the Roman road that ran from Mérida to Tarragona, and was also a Visigothic settlement. With more than 2000 years of history, Carabaña is one of the oldest towns in Madrid community. Its origins date from the pre-Roman epoch of Celtiberians, who knew this town as Caraca.

Water

Carabaña is famous for its waters (''Agua de Carabaña'') which are said to have healthful properties. The natural spring (4 km from the town at the location known as ''Cabeza Gorda'') has been known and used locally since the times of the

Ancient Romans The Roman people was the ethnicity and the body of Roman citizenship, Roman citizens (; ) during the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. This concept underwent considerable changes throughout the long history of the Roman ...

. At the end of the 19th century, Ruperto García Chávarri had it analysed and scientifically confirmed its laxative and curative properties in relation to the digestive system, intestines, liver, and skin, due to its high mineral salt content. On 4 May 1928, it was officially declared to be of Public Utility.

Monuments

* Parish Church of the Assumption (16th century), rebuilt after the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

* Fountain of Carlos III, in the Main Square (Plaza Mayor) * Palace of the Viceroy of the Indies (16th century) * Hermitage of Santa Lucía * Bridge over River Tajuña (17th century) * Visigothic necropolis * Prehistoric caves

Cycle Path

The ''Vía Verde del Tajuña'' cycle path passes through Carabaña as it follows the course of the old railway line close to the banks of the River Tajuña. It starts in Morata de Tajuña (20 km downstream) and ends in Ambite (14 km upstream).

References

* Carabaña Municipal Council webpage (Spanish)

* http://centros2.pntic.mec.es * https://web.archive.org/web/20171225201837/http://www.excursionesysenderismo.com/ * http://www.vegacarabana.es

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carabana Municipalities in the Community of Madrid