Guadarrama (river)

	Río Guadarrama
	Course of the Guadarrama River
	Data
location	Provinces of Madrid and Toledo , central Spain
River system	Tagus
Drain over	Atlantic Ocean → Atlantic
source	Sierra de Guadarrama ; 40 ° 44 ′ 30 ″ N , 4 ° 3 ′ 20 ″ W.
Source height	approx. 1900 msnm
muzzle	west of Toledo in the Tajo Coordinates: 39 ° 52 '55 " N , 4 ° 10' 9" W 39 ° 52 '55 " N , 4 ° 10' 9" W;
Mouth height	approx. 490 msnm
Height difference	approx. 1410 m
Bottom slope	approx. 11 ‰
length	approx. 132 km
Catchment area	1708 km²
Right tributaries	Aulencia
	Río Guadarrama near Galapagar

Puente de Alcanzorla

The Río Guadarrama (from the Arabic وادي الرمل / Wādī r-raml ) is an approximately 132 km long tributary of the Tagus in central Spain with a catchment area of approximately 1,708 km². It mostly crosses the autonomous community of Madrid and the province of Toledo in the autonomous region of Castile-La Mancha in a north-south direction .

course

Upper course

The Río Guadarrama arises from three source rivers - the Río de La Venta , the Río Pradillo and the Río Navalmedio , all of which are located approx. 1900 m altitude south of the Fuenfría Pass on the south side of the 2138 m high mountain range of the Siete Picos on the south saddle of the Sierra de Guadarrama rises directly on the border of the municipalities of Cercedilla and Navacerrada . First the Guadarrama flows in a southerly direction through Cercedilla, after its confluence with the La Venta through the municipalities of Los Molinos and Guadarrama . Then he turns to the southeast and crosses the town of Collado Villalba .

Middle course

The Galapagar community is his next destination. Now the Madrid - Avila - Segovia railway line accompanies him to the Las Nieves reservoir . Its next tributary is the Arroyo de Peregrinos , whose source is in the Sierra del Hoyo de Manzanares . About 4 km after the reservoir is the Alcanzorla bridge from 1236, followed by the Puente Nuevo (New Bridge) that Philip II had built here in 1583. After leaving the bridges behind, he crosses the border to Torrelodones , where the Arroyo de La Nava and the Arroyo de La Torre meet him. The Guadarrama now flows past the ruins of the Gasco Dam from the 18th century. After it has reached its easternmost point, the river is confronted by the Falla de Torrelodones , a fault that separates the granite mass of the Sierra del Guadarrama from the sedimentary zone of the Meseta Sur , as a natural obstacle . It then flows through the municipality of Las Rozas de Madrid into the Molino de la Hoz reservoir . His path continues through the municipalities of Villanueva del Pardillo , Majadahonda , Boadilla del Monte , Villanueva de la Cañada , Brunete , Villaviciosa de Odón , Móstoles and Villaviciosa de Odón. The amount of water on this stretch changes considerably, because in Villanueva de la Cañada its main tributary, the Río Aulencia , joins it, in Brunete the Arroyo de La Barranca and the Arroyo de Cienvallejos , in Villaviciosa de Odón the Arroyo de Valenoso and in Móstoles the Arroyo de El Soto .

Lower course

The Río Guadarrama flows about 20 km west of the city of Madrid and flows into the Tajo about 16 km west of Toledo .

Attractions

The bridge of Alcanzorla , which is said to have been built by the Moors , and the Puente Nuevo from 1583 are located on the middle reaches of the Río Guadarrama .

The archaeological site of Carranque , which was only discovered in 1983, is located on the lower reaches of the Río Guadarrama, ie southwest of Madrid .

Web links

Commons : Río Guadarrama - collection of images, videos and audio files

Rivers in the Sierra de Guadarrama (Spanish)