Tourist Information from Rascafría, Madrid, Spain

Rascafría Tourist Information:

Rascafría is a municipality in the province and region of Madrid, in Spain. The municipal district of Rascafría, where the small town of the same name is found, is situated to the northwest of the Region of Madrid, in Lozoya valley. It is delimited by the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range, bordering the province of Segovia, and as such boasts a mountain climate characterised by cold winters and mild summers, with quite a lot of rainfall.

· Tourist Information Office: Avenida del Paular, 32. Tel. +34 918691804. Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9 am to 2 pm; Saturday and sunday, 10 am to 2 pm. Guided tours to the town of Rascafría and the rest of the municipal area leave from the tourist information office every Saturday and Sunday www.rascafria.org

· Town Hall: Plaza de la Villa, 1. Tel. +34 918691450.

· SUGGESTED ROUTE: This route starts in the heart of the town, at the Saint Andrew the Apostle parish church, a building erected in the 15th-century but which has undergone numerous subsequent renovations. Next to it lies the Trastamara Square, with one of the most interesting civil edifices in town, La Casona, which conserves a number of 14th-century elements on its façade. If you head off in the opposite direction and follow Calle de los Reyes, you will come to the main square (Plaza de la Villa), presided by the neo-Mudejar Town Hall building. The square is home to the Casa Vasca (Basque House), which dates back to 1726; it is believed to have functioned as a staging post, but the only thing known about it for certain is that it was run as an inn.Via Spain Square you come to Avenida del Paular, which, at the end of a pleasant walk of some two kilometres, brings you to the monastery, founded at the end of the 14th-century. In addition to enjoying its extraordinary location, it is well worth paying a visit to the church and cloister, with its 52 paintings by Carducho about the history of the monastery’s order. The route can end at the Bridge of Forgiveness, in front of the El Paular monastery. Although medieval in origin, its current aspect dates back to the 18th-century, when it had to be rebuilt following deterioration caused by flooding of the river Lozoya.

History:

Rascafría, crossed by the river Artiñuelo, was founded by Segovian settlers who fanned out along the valley in the Middle Ages. The grouping of the town and other municipalities in the Lozoya sexmo, a territorial division in which the members share the local natural resources, dates from that time. Administrative dependence with respect to Segovian institutions was maintained until 1833, when Rascafría became part of the province of Madrid.

When the Carthusian monastery of Our Lady of Saint Mary of El Paular was constructed two kilometres from the built-up area of Rascafría in 1390, the community’s entire life was linked to it, and the monastery enjoyed the protection of the Castilian kings and maintained its influence through to the 19th century.

For many years cattle-raising was the main occupation of the town’s inhabitants, although they also worked with wood from the nearby forests. This industrial activity continues today.

Today Rascafría has around 2,000 inhabitants, a population that rises considerably in the summer months and on weekends. Throughout the 20th century and the start of the 21st century, the town took on an important tourist character, mainly due to historical and architectural interest surrounding the monastery, which today also operates as a hotel, and its privileged location, at a height of 1163 m in the vicinity of the Peñalara Nature Reserve and the Valdesquí ski resort.

Places of Cultural Interest in Rascafría:

· Royal Monastery of Santa María de El Paular: Any visit to Rascafría should include the Royal Monastery of Santa María de El Paular, which stands two kilometres outside of town. You can reach the monastery via a pleasant, tree-lined pedestrian lane that allows you to take in the landscape, which is beautiful any time of the year. The monastery’s history is linked to the Castilian kings through the House of Trastámara. John I, at the wish of his father, Henry II, ordered the building to be erected in 1390 on hunting land where shooting boxes and other royal outbuildings stood, although the construction work really got under way during the reign of Henry III. The Carthusian monastery of Nuestra Señora de Santa María de El Paular, the first Carthusian building in Castile, was an important cultural and economic centre for centuries, until the 19th century sales of church lands led to its decline. A Benedictine community, dedicated to monastic life and looking after guests and visitors, has been installed there since the mid-20th century. The construction of the monastery, which involved the participation of a number of leading architects including Juan Guas and Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón, was prolonged considerably, which is why it features Gothic, Renaissance and baroque elements. The architectural ensemble is formed of the monastery, the church and a palace, originally set aside for use by the monarchs and today converted into a hotel. The main cloister of the monastery, in a flamboyant Gothic style, contained the cells designed for the monks to study and live in isolation in, located in the four passageways. In the 17th century and in order to decorate the inside walls of the cloister, the Italian artist Vicente Carducho executed a series of large paintings telling the life of Saint Bruno of Cologne, the founder of the Carthusian Order, and the order’s history. The paintings were scattered after the church land was sold and only brought together again and restored in 2011. Today they can be viewed in all their splendour in their original place. The church has a single nave, divided into three sections. At the end of the first of these is an extraordinary, multi-coloured forged iron gate from the late 15th century, made by the Carthusian friar Francisco de Salamanca. Of particular note in the church’s decoration is the alabaster altarpiece, from the late 15th century and in the Gothic style, which depicts different scenes from the life of Jesus and the Virgin Mary in great and painstaking detail. The baroque style can be clearly appreciated in the ecclesiastic rooms devoted to the tabernacle, with elements that include Solomonic columns and multi-coloured decoration. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport recently opened the Paular Contemporáneo exhibition space inside the monastery, set to host diverse exhibitions dedicated to contemporary art.

· Perdón (absolution) Bridge: Opposite the El Paular monastery, crossing the river Lozoya, is this bridge where, tradition has it, those who were condemned to death were given a final chance to have their sentence pardoned. Made from granite ashlar work and with three semicircular arches, it was originally built in the 14th century and raised again four centuries later. It joined the monastery with the Batanes mill, where the Carthusian monks worked with paper and which is said to be the place from where the paper came that was used in the first edition of Don Quixote, published in Madrid in 1605.

· San Andrés Apóstol parish church: Dating back to the 15th century, the church has been renovated and restored on various occasions and offers an interesting mix of Gothic, Renaissance, baroque and contemporary elements. It is divided into three naves and inside houses artistic pieces of interest brought here from the El Paular monastery, such as the 18th-century statue of the Saint Michael archangel by Luis Salvador Carmona.

· Saint Andrew’s Open-air Comedy Theatre: Puerto del Collado, 11. Attached to the San Andrés Apóstol church, this theatre from the middle of the 20th century is home to cultural and recreational shows of all types, put on for the inhabitants of Rascafría and its visitors.

· La Casona: Plaza de los Trastámara. A hospital in years gone by, the main door and porch of this house, built on a piece of land belonging to the Trastámara family, are original pieces from the 14th century and the only examples of urban architecture from this period that survive in the town of Rascafría.

· Town Hall: Plaza de la Villa, 1.A neo-Mudejar building from the start of the 20th century, formerly put to other uses, from where the town’s municipal governance is run.

· Basque Inn or Posting Inn: Plaza de la Villa. Dated to 1726, according to an inscription on one of the windows, it has not been able to be proven that it did indeed house the horses of a staging post, but there is evidence it was used as an inn and enjoyed a monopoly on visitors seeking board and lodging in town.

· Luis Feito Art Collection: Calle de la Pradera, 2 (Oteruelo del Valle). Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9 am to 2 pm. In Oteruelo del Valle, just over two kilometres from Rascafría, the collection, comprising works donated by Luis Feito himself, allows visitors to appreciate the evolution of this contemporary painter, Commander by Number of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, founding member of the El Paso group and closely associated with Lozoya valley.

Festivities, Traditions and Gastronomy:

· Saint Valentine: On Saint Valentine’s Day, Rascafría pays homage to the Archpriest of Hita, whose adventures in the region inspired his famous Book of Good Love. The celebration includes a dramatised procession, with tales told in poetic prose in the places where the actual events took place. The acts are accompanied by traditional singing and dancing that have celebrated the love between the young men and women in the area since olden times.

· Carnival: In the town of Rascafría, Carnival Tuesday is the day the corridas de cintas are held, where young men, mounted on horseback, hit a rope to see who can dislodge the greatest number of ribbons, which belong to the young women in the town. Originally it was the young men recruited for compulsory military service who had the chance to take part in the event, which recreates ancient cock runs, when birds were strung from the rope.

GASTRONOMY: The mountain gastronomy of the town of Rascafría offers visitors a wide variety of culinary suggestions. The cattle-raising tradition is evident in the quality of the local meat. Veal is complemented with pork products and exquisite seasonal vegetables and local bean mdishes. In autumn, gastronomic events centred on game and mushrooms feature high on restaurant menus. Trout from the river Lozoya is also extremely popular. With regard to beverages, you can choose from the different wines from Madrid, and to end a meal there is a fine choice of homemade puddings, made following the local mountain traditions, as well as El Paular cheeses.

Outdoor pursuits:

· Peñalara Nature Reserve: Casa del Parque los Cotos. Puerto de los Cotos. www.parquenaturalpenalara.org. The official name of this protected natural area covering 768 hectares and located in the Rascafría municipal district, in the highest zone of the Sierra de Guadarrama, is Parque Natural de la Cumbre, el Circo y las Lagunas de Peñalara. It is not possible to mention all of its natural wonders in just a few lines, but the reserve, dominated by Peñalara peak (2428 m) is one of the most important tourist attractions in the area, thanks to its stunning landscapes and, in particular, formations of glacier origin. Equally of note is the diversity of the flora, characteristic of the medium and high Mediterranean mountain and which includes wild pine forests. On top of all that there is the wealth of its populations of birds (particularly large birds of prey), amphibians and reptiles, and the abundant presence of roe deer. Peñalara massif is a splendid setting for enjoying hill walks and is one of the most traditional climbing spots in the central peninsula area. On 27 June 2013 it was officially made part of Guadarrama National Park, which, with its 34000 hectares (of which 21,714 are located in the Madrid region) has become the largest national park in the region.

· Centre for Environmental Education and Giner de los Ríos Arboretum: Perdón Bridge. M-604 road, km 27.6. Tel. 91 869 17 57. Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm. Next to Perdón Bridge is the Centre for Environmental Education, which organises guided tours and presents activities related to sustainable development and the conservation of the natural environment. Warranting particular attention is the Giner de los Ríos Arboretum, with over 200 species of trees and shrubs from around the world.

· Las Presillas: This recreational area is close to the El Paular monastery and boasts natural swimming spots in the bed of the river Lozoya, along with extensive meadows and stunning views over Peñalara peak.

NATURE WALKS: Astonishing routes of varying levels of difficulty can be taken in the area of Peñalara and the Paular valley. The Casa del Parque, in Cotos, and the national park’s website have comprehensive information on the routes you can do. These are some of the most popular.

· Puerto de Cotos-Peñalara Peak (RP1): A mountain route that leads to the highest point of the Sierra de Guadarrama, Peñalara peak (2428 m). The round trip covers around 10 km and crosses a steep drop (around 600 m). It can take around six hours. In winter it is recommended for experienced mountain climbers only.

· Puerto de Cotos-Rascafría: Angostura Valley (RV1): A route that runs from Puerto de Cotos to El Paular and Rascafría and which provides the opportunity to enjoy stunning landscapes, following the course of the Angostura riverbed, one of the tributaries of the river Lozoya. In total the route covers 16.3 km and can be done in around 4 ½ hours. It can also be done on mountain bike or horseback.

· Puerto de Cotos-Peñalara Wetlands (RP3): An easy route that leads from Puerto de Cotos to the main wetlands in the nature reserve. The round trip is 5 km (around 2 ¼ hours).

· El Paular-Perdón Bridge-Purgatorio Cascades: A route that follows the Aguilón riverbed to the beautiful Purgatorio cascades. The total distance is 12 km for the round trip (around 3 ½ hours).