History of Las Rozas
Encyclopedia
According to some historians Las Rozas de Madrid
could have been a Roman mansion or staging-post called Miacum, from which the name Madrid
may have derived. This is somewhat speculative, although there is evidence of occupation locally in about the 3rd century of the Common Era
when the Roman Empire
was active in Spain.
Las Rozas is located on the Roman Military Route between Segovia
and Titulcia
and eventually to Emerita Augusta
, and is adjacent to the Rio Guadarrama
, which provided plentiful fresh water all year round. The modern name means 'the clearings' which may have related to military activity, as the agricultural value if the area is low, and the traditional economic activity seems to have been sheep rearing.
The first document that refers to Las Rozas itself dates from 1376, although it would appear that the town existed earlier than that. The town of "Las Rozas" appears in Volume V of the "Relaciones Historico-Geografico-Estadisticas" ("Historical, Geographical, and Statistical List") of the towns of Spain that was written during the reign of Felipe II
and that is now kept in the library at the El Escorial
Monastery.
, Torrelodones
and Colmenarejo
. The legend says that the Virgin of the Retamar appeared there, but the contemporary carved image is not that today appears in a scallop niche in the Church of San Miguel and which is used for the processions that carry the Virgin to the new hermitage church that was built in the 1990s, which is a little nearer the town, next to Dehesa de Navalcarbón (the original, as 'pasture' suggests was near the river.
an ambitious project was conceived to create a navigable canal sourced by the river Guadarrama which would link Madrid to the Atlantic Ocean. Finally in 1875 a French Engineer, Charles Lemur started work. Only 27Km was actually built (the dam of El Gasco, the regulating reservoir) when a great storm destroyed the project. A short section has been restored in the Dehesa de Navalcarbon nature park.
In a map of the year 1755, the name (Las Matas) appears, that was populated by laborers that built the highway to Segovia (now part of the Autovia A-6). Subsequently it has been a center of research and development for the railways, now RENFE
and that was the main source of local employment.
the area was held Mainly by republicans, and saw a number of large battles, and remnants of bunkers from that era can still be seen today in the Navalcarbón meadows.
In the winter of 1936, pro-Franco troops advanced on western Madrid from the bases of Brunete
, Villaviciosa de Odón and Campamento. In fog and very low temperatures, Republican and Nationalist troops, along with air support, fought one of the worst battles of the civil war in Madrid. The inhabitants of Las Rozas took refuge in other places around the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains, such as the caves of Hoyo de Manzanares
.
The Church of San Miguel and almost all the houses in Las Rozas were completely destroyed in the battle. At the end of the war, the government created the Department of Devastated Areas in order to assist with the reconstruction of towns destroyed by the war, among which was Las Rozas, where about six rows of six or seven small houses were cheaply built near the church. One or two of these remain as of 2010, and efforts are in hand to preserve them for posterity.
The Compositores de España International Piano Competition
has been held here since about 2000.
Recent concerns about the ecology, air pollution in Madrid and 'peak oil' have prompted schemes to use railway stations more effectively and reduce the reliance of children on 'mum's taxi service' by promoting pedilecs
and electric vehicles.
Las Rozas de Madrid
Las Rozas de Madrid is one of the larger townships and municipalities in the autonomous community of Madrid, Spain, with an area of between 58.8 and 59.14 km²...
could have been a Roman mansion or staging-post called Miacum, from which the name Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
may have derived. This is somewhat speculative, although there is evidence of occupation locally in about the 3rd century of the Common Era
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
when the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
was active in Spain.
Las Rozas is located on the Roman Military Route between Segovia
Segovia
Segovia is a city in Spain, the capital of Segovia Province in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is situated north of Madrid, 30 minutes by high speed train. The municipality counts some 55,500 inhabitants.-Etymology:...
and Titulcia
Titulcia
' is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain.Of supposedly Roman origin, Titulcia is situated on the ancient military road from Emerita Augusta and Cesaraugusta ' is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain.Of supposedly Roman origin, Titulcia is situated on the ancient military...
and eventually to Emerita Augusta
Emerita Augusta
The Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida is one of the largest and most extensive archaeological sites in Spain. Mainly of Emerita Augusta, ancient capital of Lusitania . It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993....
, and is adjacent to the Rio Guadarrama
Guadarrama
Guadarrama is a town in the Community of Madrid in Spain.Pop: 13032 , approx. 60000 .Co-ordinates . not true...
, which provided plentiful fresh water all year round. The modern name means 'the clearings' which may have related to military activity, as the agricultural value if the area is low, and the traditional economic activity seems to have been sheep rearing.
The first document that refers to Las Rozas itself dates from 1376, although it would appear that the town existed earlier than that. The town of "Las Rozas" appears in Volume V of the "Relaciones Historico-Geografico-Estadisticas" ("Historical, Geographical, and Statistical List") of the towns of Spain that was written during the reign of Felipe II
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
and that is now kept in the library at the El Escorial
El Escorial
The Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a historical residence of the king of Spain, in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, about 45 kilometres northwest of the capital, Madrid, in Spain. It is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, royal palace, museum, and...
Monastery.
Middle Ages
The Pasture of Holy María of the Retamar appears mentioned in a letter dated to November 18, 1303 in a lawsuit between Madrid and Segovia also relating to settlements at GalapagarGalapagar
Galapagar is a town northwest of Madrid, Spain, situated in the administrative region 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 of old livestock fields into terrain for construction.Galapagar is...
, Torrelodones
Torrelodones
Torrelodones is a municipality in the northwest of the Autonomous Community of Madrid, Spain. It is situated 29 kilometers northwest from the city of Madrid...
and Colmenarejo
Colmenarejo
Colmenarejo is a town in Spain. It is located in the north of the Community of Madrid, near the town of Galapagar. It had a population of 8,567 in 2010..It hosts a campus of the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.-External links:*...
. The legend says that the Virgin of the Retamar appeared there, but the contemporary carved image is not that today appears in a scallop niche in the Church of San Miguel and which is used for the processions that carry the Virgin to the new hermitage church that was built in the 1990s, which is a little nearer the town, next to Dehesa de Navalcarbón (the original, as 'pasture' suggests was near the river.
Industrial Revolution
During the reign of Carlos IIICharles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
an ambitious project was conceived to create a navigable canal sourced by the river Guadarrama which would link Madrid to the Atlantic Ocean. Finally in 1875 a French Engineer, Charles Lemur started work. Only 27Km was actually built (the dam of El Gasco, the regulating reservoir) when a great storm destroyed the project. A short section has been restored in the Dehesa de Navalcarbon nature park.
In a map of the year 1755, the name (Las Matas) appears, that was populated by laborers that built the highway to Segovia (now part of the Autovia A-6). Subsequently it has been a center of research and development for the railways, now RENFE
RENFE
Renfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF .- History :The name RENFE is derived from that of the former Spanish National...
and that was the main source of local employment.
Civil War
During the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
the area was held Mainly by republicans, and saw a number of large battles, and remnants of bunkers from that era can still be seen today in the Navalcarbón meadows.
In the winter of 1936, pro-Franco troops advanced on western Madrid from the bases of Brunete
Brunete
Brunete is a town outside Madrid, Spain. There was a major battle fought there during the Spanish Civil War. The battle, while a stalemate, was seen as a tactical victory for the Spanish Nationalist Forces. Francisco Franco is known to have gone hunting there during his rule.It is located...
, Villaviciosa de Odón and Campamento. In fog and very low temperatures, Republican and Nationalist troops, along with air support, fought one of the worst battles of the civil war in Madrid. The inhabitants of Las Rozas took refuge in other places around the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains, such as the caves of Hoyo de Manzanares
Hoyo de Manzanares
Hoyo de Manzanares is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain....
.
The Church of San Miguel and almost all the houses in Las Rozas were completely destroyed in the battle. At the end of the war, the government created the Department of Devastated Areas in order to assist with the reconstruction of towns destroyed by the war, among which was Las Rozas, where about six rows of six or seven small houses were cheaply built near the church. One or two of these remain as of 2010, and efforts are in hand to preserve them for posterity.
Post Democracy
Since 'Democracy' (c.1975) and the advent of cheap travel the settlement has expanded from a pastoral village of some 6000 souls to a dormitory town of Madrid with a population of almost 100,000. As of 2010 there are still two flocks of sheep which graze on the riverbank of the Rio Guardarrama nature-park. Wild pigs, displaced from their natural habitat by building, are sometimes found in the streets of El Cantizal and El Molino de la Hoz in the north of the township.The Compositores de España International Piano Competition
Compositores de España International Piano Competition
The Compositores de España International Piano Competition is held annually at Las Rozas de Madrid's Joaquín Rodrigo Auditorium since 2000. Each edition revolves around the works of a usually living Spanish composer.-Palmares:-References:*...
has been held here since about 2000.
Recent concerns about the ecology, air pollution in Madrid and 'peak oil' have prompted schemes to use railway stations more effectively and reduce the reliance of children on 'mum's taxi service' by promoting pedilecs
Electric bicycle
An electric bicycle, also known as an e-bike, is a bicycle with an electric motor used to power the vehicle. Electric bicycles typically cost between and , use rechargeable batteries and can travel up to...
and electric vehicles.