Buitrago del Lozoya: Art, Fortress and Trails Along the Lozoya

The walled area of Buitrago del Lozoya is the most distinctive and best-preserved fortified complex in the Community of Madrid and was declared a National Monument in 1931. Its main entrance is the Torre del Reloj, which was also the most important element of the defensive system. The so-called adarve bajo runs parallel to the Lozoya along the northern, eastern and western sides of the fortress; the wall walk and passage are approximately 4 metres high and about 2 metres wide.

Culture and History

The Castillo de los Mendoza dates from the 14th to the 15th century and features Mudéjar architecture made of brick and masonry. It was the residence of the Marqués de Santillana and his family, the later Dukes del Infantado; Juana of Portugal and her daughter Juana la Beltraneja also lived there. The Casa del Bosque was built by the Mendoza family in the early 16th century in the Dehesa del Bosque, after they had transformed the area into a hunting ground in the 15th century. Because of its unique architecture, modelled on 16th-century Italian villas, it is protected as a Bien de Interés Patrimonial of the Community of Madrid.

The Iglesia de Santa María del Castillo was completed at the beginning of the 14th century, possibly on the site of an earlier mosque. During restoration work in the 1980s, its Gothic roof was converted into a Neo-Mudéjar roof. The church contains an original 15th-century Mudéjar coffered ceiling from the former Hospital de San Salvador, as well as a Renaissance-style processional cross dated 1574. The 35-metre-high bell tower can be visited from inside the church via a staircase whose first section has 115 irregular steps.

The Museo Picasso-Colección Eugenio Arias has been housed in rooms of the town hall since 1985 and preserves works that Picasso dedicated and gave to his barber, Eugenio Arias. The collection includes drawings, graphic works, photographs, ceramics, pyrography works, a Cagafierro, exhibition posters and books bearing the artist’s dedications to Eugenio Arias. The exhibition rooms opened on 5 March 2010; they are intended to promote art in the Sierra Norte through temporary exhibitions of high artistic value and have been part of the Community of Madrid’s Red Itiner network since 2010.

North of the medieval walled area lies the Puente del Arrabal, also known as the Puente Viejo. It spans the Lozoya on a single semicircular granite arch.

Nature and Trails

The Senda de las Gariñas is an easy, linear or circular 8-km route that can be completed on foot or by bicycle. The Senda Ribera del Río Lozoya is an easy, linear 560-metre trail that can be walked. The Senda del Cerro de Cinco Villas is a moderately difficult, linear 6-km route that can be completed on foot or by bicycle and offers panoramic views over the Lozoya Valley. The Senda del Embalse de Riosequillo is an easy, linear route of 2.5 or 7.5 km that can be completed on foot or by bicycle. The different lengths, route types and difficulty levels help when comparing the options.

The route descends to the Puentes Viejas Reservoir, enters the Gariñas forest and follows a peripheral path near the reservoir shore. One trail runs along the Lozoya River to the Puentes Viejas Reservoir and includes two viewpoints, information panels and a picnic area in the El Tomillar pine forest.

The Área Recreativa Riosequillo has a 4,500 m² swimming pool with a capacity of 2,305 people. The site is approximately 2 km from the town of Buitrago del Lozoya and has a free car park with 700 spaces.

Getting There

Intercity bus route 191 connects Plaza de Castilla in Madrid with Buitrago del Lozoya. From Madrid, the town can be reached via the A-1 motorway and exit 74.

Other Places

Other places: Meco, Valdemaqueda, Campo Real, Manzanares El Real, Aravaca, Villanueva De La Cañada, Daganzo De Arriba, Las Rozas De Madrid

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