And another dandy road warrior tour of my beloved Spain. This time will remain close to the capital in the area known as the Comunidad de Madrid sort of a regional autonomous administrative area. In this area or community you have several important towns of historical significanse as I have several posts in my blog. This time , I will update for you and me the wonderful town of Colmenar de Oreja! Hope you enjoy it as I.
Again, this is on the sights of Colmenar de Oreja ; feel obligated to tell you about some of its best gems such as the Plaza Mayor. The town is only about 50 km from Madrid and you can only come here by car ,no train station. You come by the expressway A3 Madrid-Valencia and take the entry into the road M-404 by km 50 at Villarejo de Salvanés (see post) until Belmonte de Tajo and here take the M-303 to Colmenar de Oreja. There is another way from the A3 take the M307 at Km 21 before reaching Arganda del Rey, and by it follow continuously the M311 and before reaching Morata de Tajuña take the M313 to Colmenar de Oreja (also take you to Chinchon, see post).
As you come into town, can’t avoid cruising and walking the Calle de la Concepcion, where you will find stores, and the starting point to walks all over the town.
A bit of history I like is that between the years 1500 to 1700 the successive kings of the Habsburg (Austria) ordered the most important works in this town such as the enlargement of the Church of Santa María la Mayor (1517),(see post) repairs to the wall ramparts (1517) the irrigation of the fields of Vega (1572), and the foundation of the Franciscan Monastery of San Bernardino de Siena (1570) , and the founding of the Monastery of the Incarcanation of the Recollects Augustinians (1685).
One of the nice things to do and see here are the building of the Plaza Mayor in 1676, a wonderful example of Castilian squares , and on it you find the Casa Consistorial ( served as city hall) and Posito (old food depot). The Plaza Mayor was started building it in 1676, as one of the magnificent examples of the typical porticoed Castilian squares when it was finished in 1794. It comprises the city/town hall and the Pósito. Its south cloth gives to a majestic architectonic ensemble formed by the Gardens of Zacatín, the mouth of the tunnel of Stone of the same name (which crosses under the square of part to part), and, the troughs. It has been the framework of a multitude of films and television series. In the popular festivities both in May and September, a portable wooden square with tenders is installed, so that they can celebrate all kinds of bullfighting events, something that the people continue with great devotion and tradition.
The Colmenar de Oreja tourist office on things to see: http://colmenarte.colmenardeoreja.com/
The Comunidad de Madrid tourist board on Colmenar de Oreja: http://turismomadrid.es/en/discover/colmenar-de-oreja/202-colmenar-de-oreja.html
The Madrid city tourist office on Colmenar de Oreja: https://www.esmadrid.com/en/colmenar-oreja
There you go folks, another gem in the off the beaten path roads of the Comunidad de Madrid, again just south of the capital , Colmenar de Oreja , an easy ride by car all worth it for a pleasant afternoon away from the city. Hope you enjoy it as we did.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
Leave a Reply