Colmenar Viejo

Few towns in the Community of Madrid have a history as closely tied to granite quarrying as Colmenar Viejo. Set on the southern foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama, it marks a transition between Madrid’s urban plain and the open grazing country to the north; the Manzanares River runs through its municipal area. Local stone has long influenced the town’s architecture, most notably at the Gothic Basilica of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, whose construction began in the 15th century. Colmenar Viejo also retains strong links with cattle raising and the dehesa pastureland typical of central Spain. See how Colmenar Viejo fits within the wider Sierra de Guadarrama foothills by browsing webcams nearby.

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