Villarejo de Salvanés

Villarejo de Salvanés municipality
	Villarejo de Salvanés - Church of San Andrés Apóstol
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Madrid
Comarca :	Comarca de Las Vegas
Coordinates	40 ° 10 ′ N , 3 ° 17 ′ W Coordinates: 40 ° 10 ′ N , 3 ° 17 ′ W
Height :	760 msnm
Area :	118.62 km²
Residents :	7,335 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	61.84 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	28590
Municipality number ( INE ):	28180
administration
Website :	Villarejo de Salvanés

Villarejo de Salvanés is a small town and a central Spanish municipality ( municipio ) with 7,335 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the autonomous region of Madrid . The historic town center was classified as a cultural asset ( Bien de Interés Cultural ) in the category Conjunto histórico-artístico in 1974 .

Location and climate

The place Villarejo de Salvanés is located in the Castilian plateau ( meseta ) about 54 km (driving distance) southeast of Madrid at an altitude of about 760 m ; the cities of Aranjuez and Toledo are 35 km and 86 km to the southwest, respectively. The climate is harsh in winter, but temperate to warm in summer; Rain (approx. 450 mm / year) falls throughout the year with the exception of the summer months.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2019
Residents	2,991	3,239	4,303	5,650	7,335

Villarejo de Salvanés has benefited from the continuous immigration of individuals and families from the surrounding rural areas since the 19th century.

economy

In the Middle Ages , Villarejo de Salvanés was a rural community that was large enough to serve as an artisanal and mercantile center (market) for the individual farms and small villages in the area. Nowadays the agricultural sector (including viticulture and olive growing) forms the basis of economic life. Even the tourism in the under monument protection standing ancient village is an important source of income for small town.

history

There is no trace of the Celtiberians , Romans , Visigoths and Arabs or Moors in the area around Villarejo de Salvanés. After the recapture ( reconquista ) Toledo by Alfons VI. from León in 1085, the place was partially populated by Christians from the north or from the south of the Iberian Peninsula ( repoblación ) . In 1174 the place and its surroundings came to the Santiagoorden . At the end of the 12th or beginning of the 13th century, the Almohads conquered and destroyed the castle and the place. In a document from 1199, Alfonso VI transferred. the area to the Church of Toledo. In the centuries that followed, however, the small town was largely outside the royal court's sphere of interest.

Attractions

Town hall (ayuntamiento)

The 22 m high and square in plan, but at corners and edges by round towers reinforced keep (Torre del homenaje) was in the 13th century on the site of a destroyed by the Almohad watchtower ( atalaya ) rebuilt. Today there are exhibition rooms on the regional and city history as well as the tourist office.
The church of San Andrés Apóstol dates from the 14th century; its apse and the nave walls are also surrounded by round towers , so that an overall defensive-looking structure was created. The main portal was probably built later and shows the purest Renaissance forms and a Jacob's cross in the gable field ; another Jakobskreuz is located above the side portal. Towards the end of the 20th century the church was raised and modern rectangular windows were installed; the bell storey was also renewed.
The Casa de la Tercia is a two-story civil building from the 16th century; it is connected to the church and the castle by underground passages.
The old town hall (ayuntamiento) is a two-storey building with a loggia facade from the 16th century; Parts of the structure serve as a museum. A modern annex is used for municipal tasks.