Buitrago de Lozoya

Buitrago de Lozoya is a 1,854 inhabitants small town by river Lozoya in Sierra de Guadarrama, in the northern part of the Community of Madrid (Spain). Its old town is very well preserved and was declared BIC (Bien de interés cultural) in 1993.

How do I arrive to Buitrago de Lozoya?

  Buitrago de Lozoya isn't as well connected as other places in the region but it can still be reached easily from Madrid. 

• Bus: there are buses every hour to Madrid (aprox. 1 hour 30 minutes) from Buitrago de Lozoya, reaching Plaza de Castilla Bus Station. 
• Car: if you rented a car, Buitrago de Lozoya can be reached from Montejo de la Sierra (aprox. 20 minutes), Torrelaguna (aprox. 25 minutes), Rascafría at Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (aprox. 30 minutes) or from Madrid (aprox. 1 hour).

History

The history of Buitrago de Lozoya begins in the 11th century, when the king Alfonso VI of Leon and Castile gave privileges to this area in order to be repopulated. In 1368 king Henry II of Castile gave it as a manor to Pedro González de Mendoza, mainteining it on the House of Mendoza till the early 19th century. The period in which Buitrago reached its peak of importance was between the 15th and 16th centuries, particulary under Íñigo López de Mendoza, Marquess of Santillana. From the 16th century onwards it lost its strategical importance and started losing population, only recovering that importance during the Peninsular War (in this period the town walls were burnt by Napoleon troops). It wasn't until after the Spanish Civil War when Buitrago de Lozoya recovered some importance due to the construction of a reservoir in river Lozoya and the motorway A1 that connects Madrid and Burgos.

What can I visit in Buitrago de Lozoya?

  Buitrago de Lozoya is a nice town to walk and discover why it was named BIC. It's perfect as a first stop when visiting the north of the Community of Madrid on a day trip.

These are Buitrago de Lozoya's main attractions:

• Buitrago de Lozoya Castle: 15th century castle with a mixture of Gothic and Mudéjar styles that was used as a palace too. Joanna la Beltraneja, Isabella I of Castile's niece and claimant to the throne of the Crown of Castile, lived here.
• Buitrago Town Walls: walls with Muslim origin that were built around the 11th century, restored in the 15th century by the Crown of Castile. It is divided in two parts, adarve alto and adarve bajo, being the former the one that keeps more defensive elements (such as towers or the castle).
• St. María del Castillo Church: Gothic church first built in the 14th century that has suffered some changes with time. Its main entrance is in Flamboyant style and its tower is beautifully built in Mudéjar style. It was damaged during the Spanish Civil War and rebuilt in Neomudéjar style.
• Picasso Museum (11-13:45 and 16-18 Tue-Fri, 10-14 and 16-19 Sat, 10-14 Sun; free): small museum that contains around 60 works given by Picasso to his barber and friend Eugenio Arias, native from Buitrago de Lozoya.
• Buitrago Old Bridge: Medieval bridge built over river Lozoya.
• Forest Palace: early 17th century palace built in Renaissance style by Iñigo López de Mendoza for the House of Mendoza. Today just some ruins remain from the palace.

Buitrago de Lozoya Castle

St. María del Castillo Church

Montejo beech forest

Only 15 km northeast it can be found Montejo de la Sierra (353 inhabitants), a small village located in entrance to Sierra del Rincón. Like many of the villages in the area, it keeps traditional housed made of blackboard (named arquitectura negra) that make them worth to have a walk. Close to it is located Montejo beech forest (guided tour booking on advance; free), one of the southernmost beech forests in Europe (part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe. This wonderful place is full of beeches and other types of flora and fauna, making it one of the most visited beech forests in Spain (particulary in autumn). Continuing to the border with Castile-La Mancha it can be reached the picturesque village of La Hiruela (57 inhabitants), that keeps traditional architecture, apiaries and coal cellars. There's a small museum, La Hiruela Ethnographic Museum (guided tours on Sat and Sun), that shows the visitor the traditions and way of living in this mountanous part of the Community of Madrid. Going 32 km south from Buitrago de Lozoya it's located the town of Torrelaguna, 4,760 inhabitants. This place has some important religious building such as St. María Magdalena Church, 14th century Gothic church comanded by Cardinal Cisneros (native from the town) with an interesting Plateresque altarpiece; and cute squares such as Plaza Mayor or Plaza de la Montera. Contuing a bit there's one of the most rural destinations in the region of Madrid, Patones (541 people). It's one of the brightest examples of arquitectura negra and declared BIC in 1999.

Where can I eat in Buitrago de Lozoya?

In case of eating in Buitrago de Lozoya, a good idea can be the restaurant Portachuelo (Avenida de Madrid 21).

Posted in: Europe,Madrid region,Spain