Torres de la Alameda

Torres de la Alameda municipality
Torres de la Alameda - town view
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Madrid
Province :	Madrid
Comarca :	Metropolitana de Madrid
Coordinates	40 ° 24 ′  N , 3 ° 22 ′  W Coordinates: 40 ° 24 ′  N , 3 ° 22 ′  W
Height :	655  msnm
Area :	43.79 km²
Residents :	7,779 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	177.64 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	28813
Municipality number  ( INE ):	28154
administration
Website :	Torres de la Alameda

Torres de la Alameda is a city and a central Spanish municipality ( municipio ) with 7,779 inhabitants (as of January 1 2019) in the east of the Community of Madrid in the transition to the autonomous region of Castile-La Mancha . The municipality belongs to the cultural landscape of the Alcarria .

Location and climate

The approximately 655  m high town of Torres de la Alameda is located in the Iberian Highlands ( meseta ) southeast of the Castilian Scheidegebirge . The Spanish capital Madrid is a good 38 km (driving distance) to the west; the city of Guadalajara is approximately 43 km to the northeast. The climate in winter is temperate, while in summer it is warm to hot; the rather low amounts of precipitation (approx. 450 mm / year) fall - with the exception of the almost rainless summer months - distributed over the whole year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2001	2019
Residents	815	885	1,030	4,353	7,779

The place was only a rural community until the middle of the 20th century; However, due to its location in the greater Madrid area, the population of the municipality has increased significantly since then.

economy

Torres de la Alameda was dominated by agriculture for centuries; the people lived largely as a self-sufficient source of income from the surrounding fields and house gardens. In the meantime, smaller companies in the metal and logistics industries have settled here.

history

There are sparse finds from Roman times in the municipality, but these can hardly be interpreted as evidence of human settlement. In the 8th century the area was devastated by Moorish armies. After the re-conquest of the areas north of Toledo in 1085 by Alfonso VI. from León the area was temporarily subordinated to the Santiagoorden ; later it belonged to the sphere of influence of the council (concejo) of Alcalá de Henares . At about the same time, the repopulation phase ( repoblación ) by Christians from all parts of the Iberian Peninsula began . In 1555 the place received city ​​rights (villazgo) .

Attractions

Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción

• The town's central square, lined with old but not very handsome houses, was redesigned at the beginning of the 21st century.
• The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción , consecrated to the Assumption of Mary , was partly created in the Mudejar style of the 16th century, characterized by the alternation of natural and brick layers ; the almost monumental-looking eastern parts are stone-sighted. The bell tower (campanario) rises on the substructure of a former defense tower . The south-facing porch (claustro porticado) with its broad basket arches is striking . The interior of the church has three aisles ; the crossing area is raised in relation to the apse vault or in relation to the open roof trusses in the nave and is independently illuminated ( lantern tower ). The once important interior was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939).
• The almost cubic shape and almost unadorned on the outside Ermita de la Soledad was built around the same time as the church; However, Mudejar elements are missing. The building now serves as a museum for sacred art.

Web links

Commons : Torres de la Alameda  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Torres de la Alameda, history and attractions - photo + quick facts (Spanish)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Cifras oficiales de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal a 1 de enero . Population statistics from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (population update).
2. ↑ Torres de la Alameda / Madrid - climate tables
3. ↑ Torres de la Alameda - population development
4. ↑ Torres de la Alameda - Church
5. ↑ Torres de la Alameda - Church etc.
6. ↑ Torres de la Alameda - Church
7. ↑ Torres de la Alameda - Ermita