Las Rozas de Madrid

Las Rozas de Madrid (or simply, Las Rozas) is one of the larger townships and municipalities in the autonomous community of Madrid, Spain, with an area of between 58.8 and 59.14 km² ref|area. It is located some 18 km northwest of the city of Madrid itself, on the A-6 highway to La Coruña and the M-505 road to El Escorial, which begins in this municipality. The municipality is served by four RENFE railway stations– Las Rozas, Las Matas, El Pinar and El Tejar – more than any other Madrid municipality. The municipality shares borders with those of Torrelodones to the north, Villanueva del Pardillo and Galapagar to the west, the Monte del Pardo (Madrid) in the east and Majadahonda (south).

Las Rozas also has one of the highest average per capita incomes in the Community of Madrid. It has likewise experienced a strong population growth during the final decades of the 20th century, which has more than doubled between 1991 and 2005 (from 35,137 to 76,246 inhabitants).

The provisioning for local services (such as schools and new dwellings) has at times been outpaced by the locality's high birth and immigration rates.

History

" Main article: History of Las Rozas"

According to some historians Las Rozas could be the old Miacum, name of the one that the city of Madrid drifts, for which would be able to have its origin in the third century. Las Rozas is found on the road that went from Segovia to Titulcia, so its origin could be due to this circumstance.

During the Spanish civil war it became a zone of large battles, a reminder of this are the bunkers that can still be observed today in the Dehesa of Navalcarbón.

In the winter of 1936 the pro-franco troops advanced for the west of Madrid from the bases of Brunete, Villaviciosa de Odón and Campamento. In the middle of a dense fog with zero degrees temperatures, republicans and nationalists, supported by the aviation, were engaged in one of the bloodiest battles of the civil War in Madrid. The inhabitants of Las Rozas took refuge in other places of the Sierra like the caves in Hoyo de Manzanares (these "roceños" were subsequently named "cucos", sly).

When the war was over, the Church of San Miguel and all the houses were completely destroyed. The "Ministerio de la Gobernación" created the "Dirección General de Regiones Devastadas" for the reconstruction of towns destroyed by the war and Las Rozas was included among them.

Transportation

Las Rozas can be reached from the Autovía A-6 (highway that goes from Madrid to A Coruña), M-50 (third ring road around Madrid) and M-505 (highway of El Escorial).

There are 7 bus lines that connect the town with Moncloa (Madrid) 621, 624 (Burgo of Las Rozas), 622 (Las Matas), 623 (VillaFranca del Castillo), 626, 628, 629 (new zones like the Business Park, La Dehesa and El Cantizal). There is also another bus line (561) that connects Las Rozas with Aluche (Madrid), passing through Majadahonda and Pozuelo.

Another way to get to the municipality is by train. Las Rozas had five train stations until one of them (Los Peñascales) was suppressed, remaining at present day Las Rozas, Las Matas, El Pinar and El Tejar.

Cinema

During the 1960s, Las Rozas was used as a film set, with the one that Samuel Bronston built being a luxurious area in Las Matas. It was one of the most important film studios in Europe and aimed to be the largest in the world, but commercial failures such as 55 Days in Peking prevented Las Rozas becoming a more famous film making location. For the filming of 55 Days in Peking many locals (called roceños) were used as extras and as the bricklayers that built them decorated and they enjoyed the beauty of Ava Gardner, even it is believed an artificial river that was filled with tankers.

In remembrance of Samuel Bronston, who desired to be buried in Las Rozas, but finally rests in Alicante, a street was named after him.

port

Sporting events have always been very important in Las Rozas and it is the only municipality that won two national sports prizes, in part due to the excellent training facilities available.

Las Rozas has a football (soccer) team which competes in the Spanish Third Division (level four of the Spanish football league system). Additionally the town has an indoor football/ [futsal] team that was recently relegated to the silver division. During the 1990s the basketball team also performed well and narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier division, today known as ACB.

For the last 15 years Las Rozas has also had a significant Rugby team called A.D Ingenieros Industriales who have competed in the National First Division (the third level in Spanish Rugby). The club uses an artificial pitch in the Cantizal zone.

Another noticeable facility in the municipality is the "Ciudad del fútbol de la Real Federación Española de Fútbol" (Royal Spanish Football Federation's Football City), build on lands donated by the Town Council. On two occasions the TSJM has failed to secure the return of these municipal plots.

Other popular sports are the Frog, the mallet, the Bald or the chito, the latter has a club that contests home games on Sundays in the fair precinct.

Incomplete list of Mayors

* Juan Mingo Barrio (1576)
* Francisco Labrandero, el mozo (1576)
* Joseph López Irrarraga (1751)
* Blas Gregorio (1751)
* Matías Rubio (1787)
* Francisco Benito (1787)
* Benito Velasco (1866)
* Baltasar Lázaro (1931)
* Blas Riaza (1935)
* Agustín Plaza (1939)
* Joaquín Lázaro Benito (1942)
* José González Cabeza (Juny from 1943 - January 1966) "either June or July, should be corrected"
* Santiago de la Cruz de la Fuente (1966 - 1970)
* Jesús Benito Sánchez (1971 - 1979)
* Benito Garrido Turrillo (April 1979 - October 1979)
* Luis Schake de Miguel (October 1979 - May 1980)
* Doroteo Lázaro Mingo (May 1980 - October 1981)
* Luis Schake de Miguel (November 1981 - April 1983)
* Jesús Zúñiga Pérez-Lemaur (1983 - 1995)
* Bonifacio de Santiago (1995 - present day)

Demographics

( [http://gestiona.madrid.org/desvan/almudena/FichaMunicipal.icm?codFicha=1&codMunZona=1277&tipoFicha=M&codSolapaActiva=1 Fuente: Instituto de estadítica de la Comunidad de Madrid] The first column is the value of the data in the municipality, the second is of the Metropolitan Western zone, the third is that of the community and the last one the year.

Popular festivals

* 29 September: St. Miguel Arcangel Day. To celebrate they are organized and bullfights, concerts, gigantic paellas and popular contests.

* First Sunday of May: Virgin of the Retamosa. Itself transfer the Virgin of the Retamosa in procession since the Church of San Miguel Arcangel to the hermitage situated in the Dehesa of Navalcarbón, once there a romería with dance is celebrated and contests.

* 1 May: St. José Working Day (Las Matas). They are organized corridas of bulls and concerts.

* 6 January: When they comply the 12 at night of kings, the fifth light the blaze that have been preparing during all the day, this tradition is being lost ultimately for two main motives, on the one hand the objective was to meet to all the boys that that year would do the active duty (la military service), nowadays al to have suppressed does not have so much sense and on the other hand Continuous change of place of the blaze due to the massive construction in the zones where is located happiness blaze. First was in the main square, later in the Plaza of Spain, subsequently where today there is an urbanization, just al side of the audience and finally its present location that will have to change in brief due to the recalificación of the lands, the valley of the echo or the mound.

References

# The discrepancy in area figures is due to a demarcation dispute with the neighbouring Majadahonda municipality, which lays claim to a 310,000 square metre portion of land known as "Tacón de Las Rozas", also and traditionally part of Las Rozas.

External links

* [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.475224,-3.867016&spn=0.018546,0.030088&t=k Las Rozas in Google Maps]
* [http://www.ayto-lasrozas.com City Hall of Las Rozas]
* [http://www.navalcarbon.com Las Rozas daily news]