Sierra of Guadarrama

The Sierra of Guadarrama is a mountainous solid mass of Spain, between Madrid and Segovia, close to Guadarrama.

Geography

Long of approximately 80 km, the sierra of Guadarrama rises like natural division between the two plates North and South which constitute the center of the Iberian peninsula (the central Meseta ). The solid mass extends between the valley from the river Alberche which separates it from the Sierra of Gredos and the collar from Somosierra. The Sierra of Guadarrama is used as natural border between the basins of the Tage and the Douro, in their offering among their more notorious affluents. Thus the rivers Jarama and Guadarrama feed Tage, while the Duratón, the Cega and the Eresma are offered to Douro.

The maximum altitude reached by the mountains of Guadarrama is, with the peak of Peñalara, 2430 meters. The highest slopes are used for an extensive breeding which very offers a meat of high-quality from which the geographical ascription is protected under the name of " edge of the Sierra of Guadarrama".

Principal tops

Peñalara (2430 meters)
Risco of los Claveles (2387 meters)
Cabezas de Hierro (2383 meters)
Risco of los Pájaros (2334 meters)
Back Hermanas (2285 meters)
Cerro de Valdemartín (2280 meters)
Bola del Mundo or Viola of mow Guarramillas (2265 meters)
Pandasco (2238 meters)
Maliciosa (2227 meters)
El Nevero (2209 meters)
Montón de Trigo (2161 meters)
Siete Picos (2138 meters)
Najarra (2108 meters)
Flecha (2078 meters)
Peña del Águila (2010 meters)
Peñota (1945 meters)
Assembles Abantos (1753 meters)
Yelmo (1717 meters)

Orogenesis

The sierra of Guadarrama is the fruit of the shock between the plates corresponding to the plates north and south, both pertaining to the central Meseta of the Iberian peninsula. The assembly line was formed during the era Cénozoïque, however the essence of the granitic rock which composes these mountains belongs to the varisque Orogénèse. The mountains of the sierra of Guadarrama underwent important a erosion: it is an assembly line much older than the the Pyrenees or the the Alps.

Flora

At a lower altitude, the slopes are populated of woodland pines and are famous as being among the most beautiful pine forests of Spain. Wood in addition represents one of the traditional economic resources of the area. One finds there also forests of oaks tauzins. While the more Western part is rather populated of umbrella pines, of faginés oaks and holm oaks.

Fauna

These ecosystems allow the development of a varied wildlife: stag S, Wild boar S, Roe-deer S, Deer S, Badger X, Mustélidés, wildcats, Fox S, Hare S, etc the Sierra of Guadarrama also takes into account an invaluable collection of raptors and vultures; such as the Circaète Short-toed eagle, the Eagle boot, the Golden eagle, the fawn-coloured Vulture, the Vulture monk, the black Milan, the royal Milan, the Adjustable nozzle… One finds there also owls large-duke and owls means-duke and a large variety of water birds in particular thanks to the many supposed artificial lakes to feed Madrid out of water. The Pisciculture of Truite S in addition constitutes one of the traditional economic resources of the zone.

Climate

The sierra of Guadarrama is in a continentalized Mediterranean climatic zone, which is characterized by temperatures which vary much from one season to another and by a very dry summer. However, as for all the mountains, the climate changes according to altitude.

Between 800 and 1400 meters of altitude, annual precipitations range between 700 and 800 Misters the average temperature is between 10 and 11 degrees Celsius, the maximum temperatures in summer reach 28 degrees while in winter the minimal ones reach -6 degrees. In this basic zone mountain it frequently snows from December to February, but snow is not maintained more than three days.

Between 1400 and 2000 meters of altitude, annual precipitations range between 900 and 1000 Misters the average temperature oscillates between 8 and 9 degrees Celsius reaching in summer of the maximum temperatures of 25 degrees and in winter of minimal of -8 degrees. In this zone of medium mountains snow can remain until April.

Between 2000 and 2430 meters of altitude, annual precipitations range between 1200 and 2500 Misters the average temperature oscillates between 6 and 7 degrees Celsius reaching in summer has maximum temperatures of 22 degrees and the minimal ones in winter -12 degrees. Snows found usually only after May.

History

Etymology

The toponym Guadarrama probably comes from Arabic Wadi-er-rmel , river of sands. Thus named in the past the river Manzanares which is born in these mountains. The 18th century should however be waited so that the name applies to the whole of the mountainous solid mass. It was hitherto more current to name the place assemble Carpetanos name of the people which occupied the area there is more than 2000 years.

The mountain and its inhabitants

Two cities lengthily disputed the usufruct of these mountains. Segovia having traditionally exploited, since its foundation by the Romans, surrounding forests and mining resources. In particular thanks to the Roman road which crosses the solid mass by the collar of Fuenfría. However, coveted by the royal court installed in Madrid or the Escurial, gives it territorial changed with favor of the province of Madrid.

Its condition of natural barrier made solid mass one of the places privileged for the battles of the principal wars of the peninsula. Thus, during the Reconquista , the sierra of Guadarrama at summer for a long time the border enters Christian and Moslem Spain. Witnesses of this time, strengthened villages of Buitrago del Lozoya or the Pedraza.

During the Moslem period, these mountains were inhabited by the Berbère S which exploited the slopes to make there a breeding then famous in everyone Arab.

After the conquest of Tolède, in 1085, by the king Alphonse VI of Castille, and with the initiative of the kings Alphonse VII and VIII, Piedmont guadarraméen are gradually colonized. In 1273, Alphonse X of Castille conceded with the inhabitants of the principal collars of the solid mass of the special fiscal advantages. However the medium remained hostile for the time. A traditional song of Christmas of the 15th century illustrates well the popular perception of the mountains of Guadarrama:

Por tired sierras of Madrid tengo that ir

that badly miedo He to morir

soy chequita E agraciada

in Segovia He semi morada

farmhouse por verme desposada tengo ir

that badly miedo He to morir…

By the mountains of Madrid I must go/which fear I have mourir/je am small and gracieuse/ma house is in Segovia/to see itself married I must go there/which fear I have to die…

An ambassador of the Republic of Venice, Andrea Navagero, described at the 16th century, the difficulties had to pass one of these collars with the cold. To the climatic risks was added the insecurity of the places often attended by the bandoleros who fled Madrid or Segovia, such as the " One-eyed of Pirón" or bandages it " peseteros".

The discovery of the solid mass

The first signs of interest for the fauna and the toponymy of the places, appear with the Moyen-âge with a work on hunting, the Libro de Montería, charged by the king Alphonse XI. The Libro de Buen Amor writes at the 14th century by the Arcipreste de Hita locates some of its adventures in love on the tortuous way which leads to Segovia. In spite of its hostility, the sierra of Guadarrama knew an increasing interest. The freshness of its estival temperatures and the beauty of its landscapes made of it an ideal place for meditation, while its immense slopes of hunting did not leave indifferent the nobility Castilian which saw an ideal place of holiday there. Philippe II ordered at the 16th century the construction of the monastery of the Escurial. At the 18th century, Philippe V made build the royal palace of the Granja.

Many French writers were also interested in the mountainous solid mass. Théophile Gautier in offer, in its voyage in Spain , a beautiful description:

Under the rays of the sun, the high summits scintillated and swarmed like basquines dancers under their rain with spangles with money; others had the head engaged in the clouds and were based in the sky by insensitive transitions, because nothing resembles a mountain like a cloud. They was escarpments, undulations, let us tons and of the forms of which no art can give the idea, neither the feather nor the brush; the mountains carry out all that one dreams: what is not a mean praise. Only they are appeared larger; their hugeness is sensitive only by comparison: while looking at well, one realizes that what one took by far for a grass bit is a pine of sixty feet top. (…)

As we go up, bandage of snow became thicker and broader; but an sun ray made stream the mountain, as a amante which laughs in the tears; on all sides filtered small brooks scattered like chevelures of naïades in disorder, and more lights that diamond. By climb, we reached the higher peak, and we sat down on the plinth of the base of a large granite lion which marks with the slope of the mountain the limits of the Old woman-Castille; beyond, it is the Castille-News.

Alexandre Dumas wrote in from Paris to Cadiz :

I saw few landscapes being as wild and as imposing as that which we had under the eyes: to thousand feet below us, making following rocks precipice, to chasms, staining the slope of thick shades, a plain without end, marbled extended on the right, like the skin of a gigantic leopard, broad spots deer and large black bands. On the left, the sight was abruptly stopped by the assembly line even as we climb, and of which all the tops were covered with snow; finally, at the bottom, Madrid piquetait of white points the fog of the evening, which advanced on us like a flood of darkness.
Giraud and Boulanger was in enthusiasm, Boulanger especially, less familiar with Spain than Giraud: never he had seen whether great parties taken of light and shade; constantly he united the hands while exclaiming: How it is beautiful! my God, that it is beautiful!

Thus the mountains of Guadarrama were presented to European many people. After the Napoleonean mishaps which gave to these mountains an infernal reputation, the romantic generation gave again with the Sierra of Guadarrama its titles of nobility.

But the men who contributed more to make discover the sierra of Guadarrama were undoubtedly Francisco Giner of los Ríos, founder of the Institución Libre of Enseñanza and its disciples Constancio Bernaldo de Quirós and Manuel Bartolomé Cossío. In 1880 was based the Sociedad para el Estudio del Guadarrama , company for the study of Guadarrama. In 1883 the first teaching excursions of the free Institution of teaching started. In 1913 Constancio Bernaldo de Quirós founded the company of the friends of Peñalara, the name of the higher peak of the solid mass, and published many books on these mountains. Thus was inculcated in the fine flower of intelligentsia Castilian the love for the mountains. Antonio Machado, former student of the institution, and its innumerable poems dedicated to the Sierra of Guadarrama remain the example about it more shining.

To write a poem on these mountains seems to be become with time a exercise impossible to circumvent of the Spanish poet, and many are those which were devoted there such as: Vicente Aleixandre, Carlos Fernández Shaw, Rafael Alberti or Leopoldo María Panero.

Solid mass today

Two natural parks protect the most significant places from the solid mass:

the regional Park of the high basin of Manzanares, 470 km ². Declared reserve of the biosphere by UNESCO.
the Natural park of Peñalara, 7,68 km ².

However these devices of regional initiative are not enough to draw aside the sierra of Guadarrama of the danger which the proximity of a capital of 6 million inhabitants represents. Thus the administration of the the autonomous Community of Madrid and the Autonomous Community of Castille-and-León should soon create a National park of approximately 730 km ². The project is however strongly disputed for its so-called laxism vis-a-vis the tourist interests and real estate which is the engine of the regional economic growth.

The suburban train inhabitant of Madrid arrives to the collar of Cotos, located at 1830 meters of altitude, and serves the Navacerrada ski station.

In 2007 the inauguration of the line of train at high speed between Madrid and Segovia is envisaged which includes/understands a tunnel of 28 km under the Sierra of Guadarrama.

Panoramic sights

; Winter ; Spring ; Summer

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