Venturada

Venturada is a municipality ( municipio ) in the Autonomous Community of Madrid. The old center was classified because of its historical buildings as cultural ( Bien de Interès Cultural ) in the category Conjunto histórico - artístico.

Location and transport

Venturada is located about 53 kilometers north of the city of Madrid. The neighboring municipality of Talamanca de Jarama is located about 20 kilometers southeast.

Demographics

In the 19th century the population was consistently less than 200 people. Comparatively low land prices and rents have led in recent years to an influx of people from rural areas, but also from the city of Madrid.

Economy

For a long time Venturada a small market town north of Madrid. The place was very much influenced by an agrarian subsistence economy.

History

Archaeological traces of the Iberians, Romans and Visigoths missing. The earliest evidence of history are thus composed of the Islamic period (ca. 950 ) derived watchtower ( atalaya ) on a mountaintop northern and a necropolis on the outskirts of the same period. Otherwise, the region was in the 10th/11th. Largely abandoned century and was only after the reconquest ( Reconquista ) Toledo ( 1085 ) under Alfonso VI. repopulated ( repoblación ). By 1200, the church of Santiago Apóstol was built. Otherwise, the place largely shares the story of the larger neighboring village of Talamanca de Jarama.

Attractions

• The small single-nave parish church of Santiago Apóstol one of the few examples of Romanesque architecture in the Madrid area, which has mainly to do with the completed until around the year 1200 re-colonization of the region. Built entirely of scantily addressed quarry stone building in the West has a bell gable ( espadaña ) of dressed stone, which perhaps comes from the 15th or 16th century, but no input; this is located on the south side and shows an extremely simple Romanesque design. The Ostpartie the church consists of a Vorchorjoch and a small square apse.

• Another attraction of the place is a well-preserved and lovingly restored, fitting Bock 'or' Hoof Stand ' ( potro de hierro ), as they - were in former times in many rural areas of Europe - in various forms. Wandering farriers supplied here the hoofs of the horses and cattle, which were fixed with the help of ropes and straps; also fire signs could be administered here. In earlier times the frame was certainly neither covered nor accessible via stairs. Most of these structures were - because of the filth and the roar of the animals, but mainly because of the additional risk of fire by flying sparks - at the edges of town.

• On an approximately 1000 meter high mountain range a few miles north of the town is an erected of unhewn stone round tower ( atalaya ), probably, that is, during the period of Islamic rule, was built as a guard and signal tower in the 10th century. He belongs to a group of several towers, of which most are located on the territory of the municipality Talamanca de Jarama. The tower especially impressed by its isolated location and the inclusion of natural rock rock to reach the about 2.50 meter high entrance. It has a diameter of about six meters and reaches its about a meter thick walls, a height of about nine meters. Inside, you could reach the wooden viewing platform just over wooden intermediate levels and with the help of ladders.