Daganzo de Arriba: Nature, Culture and Trails

100% of the municipality of Daganzo de Arriba is part of the ZEPA Estepas Cerealistas de los Ríos Jarama y Henares. The ZEPA includes Daganzo de Arriba and is home to significant populations of steppe birds, including Montagu’s harriers, great bustards, European rollers, lesser kestrels, sandgrouse and little bustards.

Culture and History

A romería takes place every year to the Ermita de Nuestra Señora del Espino. The hermitage is located 4 km from the town in the El Almazanejo area and was formerly the church of a settlement. Devotion to the Virgen del Espino dates back to the first settlers of Almazanejo, who built the present-day hermitage. According to local tradition, the first settlement of Daganzo stood on the banks of the Río Torote, at the site of the Ermita de Nuestra Señora del Espino and along the old Camino de Talamanca.

El Almazanejo is home to the remains of the former palace of the Counts of Coruña, a building constructed at the end of the 15th century. The catalogued necropolis, dated to the 6th century, was discovered by chance in 1929 on the road to Finca La Heredad. The church of Daganzo de Arriba possesses a large monstrance made entirely of silver. In 1612, it was in the church of Daganzo de Abajo and came to the church of Daganzo de Arriba after that place disappeared.

The Antigua Fragua de Daganzo preserves the typical structure of a rural-urban dwelling of the kind found in Daganzo and the surrounding towns. The forge was established in 1890, repaired agricultural equipment and carts, and remained in operation until the end of the 1970s. The Antigua Fragua de Daganzo is subject to the regulations for assets of historical interest provided for under the transitional provision of Ley 3/2013 of 18 June on the Cultural Heritage of the Comunidad de Madrid. Most of the bell tower of the Iglesia de la Asunción belongs to the original Mudéjar building, which may date from the 12th century.

Festivals and Traditions

The religious events of Semana Santa de Daganzo take place from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. The Good Friday programme includes a Stations of the Cross through the town and the traditional performance of the Passion. La Pasión de Daganzo is considered a Passion play performed by the people of Daganzo on Good Friday; the idea originated in 1986. In La Pasión de Daganzo, all scenes take place in the area around the Plaza de la Villa. The audience stands in the middle and can follow the entire performance by turning 360 degrees.

As part of the tradition, young people erect a “Mayo” every year on 1 May in the Plaza de la Villa. The Jornadas Cervantinas have taken place every year since 2012 and conclude with a performance of an entremés. The local patron-saint festivities are celebrated in the days before the first Sunday in September. The local festival takes place on the Friday closest to 13 June and includes a Mass, a procession and other social and festive events.

Nature

The forest park has numerous granite tables and benches, making it possible to spend the entire day outdoors. It is surrounded by the three basic ecosystems of the ZEPA: cereal steppes with wheat and barley fields, scrubland with broom, as well as tree and shrub species such as holm oak, and riparian woodland along the Río Torote. The section along the Río Torote offers birdwatching opportunities among large poplars, aspens and willows. At Cerro del Moro, a route reaches a point where different habitats merge into one another across the landscape.

Trails and Experiences

The Daganzo en Ruta event invites visitors to explore abandoned villages and former livestock trails. One route passes the still-visible remains of Daganzuelo and then reaches the Cañada Real Galiana. An extended route first reaches the Río Torote and then passes the Ermita de la Virgen del Espino and Parque Municipal del Espino.

A route through the northern part of the municipality follows the Colada del Monte, which runs parallel to the Arroyo del Monte. Another route passes the Ermita de la Virgen del Espino, while a different one explores the southern part of the municipality of Daganzo. On the way to Cuesta de Antolín, the riparian vegetation associated with the Arroyo del Monte can be seen; the route also passes Parque Forestal María Marzol. The different routes place waterways, historical traces, livestock trails and various landscapes side by side.

Visiting and Getting There

The Museo de Bomberos de Daganzo houses collections of helmets, breathing apparatus, historical firefighting equipment and other objects. The Museo de Bomberos can only be visited by prior appointment and offers a guided tour lasting approximately one hour. The municipal audio guide app includes a town route that begins at the Plaza de la Villa and leads through the town centre, as well as another route in the Museo de Historia de Daganzo.

Daganzo can be reached by public bus from the Avenida de América transport hub in Madrid or by car via the A-2, M-206 and M-113.

More Destinations

More destinations: Gargantilla Del Lozoya, Cercedilla, Villamanrique de Tajo, Serranillos del Valle, El Álamo, Humanes De Madrid, Puebla de la Sierra, Campo Real

To the higher-level travel overview: Madrid.