Soto del Real | |
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Coordinates: 40°45′15″N3°47′0″W / 40.75417°N 3.78333°W Coordinates: 40°45′15″N3°47′0″W / 40.75417°N 3.78333°W | |
Country | Spain |
Autonomous community | Madrid |
Province | Madrid |
Comarca | Cuenca Alta del Manzanares |
Judicial district | Colmenar Viejo |
Founded | See text |
Government | |
• Mayor | Juan Lobato Gandarias (PSOE) |
Area | |
• Total | 42.17 km2 (16.28 sq mi) |
Elevation | 921 m (3,022 ft) |
Highest elevation | 2,119 m (6,952 ft) |
Lowest elevation | 890 m (2,920 ft) |
Population (2018) [1] | |
• Total | 8,694 |
• Density | 210/km2 (530/sq mi) |
Demonym(s) | Sotorrealeño, ña |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Postal code | 28791 |
Dialing code | 847 |
Official language(s) | Spanish |
Website | Official website |
Soto del Real, whose former name was Chozas de la Sierra, is a town and municipality in the northern area of the autonomous Community of Madrid which had 8,294 inhabitants in 2009.
43 kilometers away from Madrid, the capital city, it is located between the towns of Manzanares el Real and Miraflores de la Sierra, and close to the Santillana reservoir.
It is located in the north of the Community of Madrid, in Spain, in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. The municipality has an elongated shape that goes from Northwest to Southeast, and the majority of it is protected inside the Parque Regional de la Cuenca Alta del Manzanares.
It borders with Manzanares el Real on the West, Miraflores de la Sierra on the East, Colmenar Viejo on the South, and Rascafría on the North.
Soto del Real encompasses a variety of terrains: mountain tops, slopes, and the Manzanares-Guadalix tectonic pit. The urban nucleus is inside the pit, going through the Mediano, Chozas and Matarrubias streams, which flow into the Santillana reservoir, so they are tributaries of the Manzanares river.
Geologically speaking, it is divided into the Mountain range, where there is a predominance of Gneiss with granite outcrops, and the pit formed by a tertiary sedimentary fill. Furthermore, in the South area there is limestone from the Mesozoic era.
The first evidence of settlements in Soto del Real dates from the 10th century, with archeological remains of houses and ceramics attributed to shepherds.
During the 13th century, the area encompassing Colmenar Viejo, Chozas de la Sierra and Porquerizas (Miraflores de la Sierra) was a source of legal conflict between the provinces of Madrid and Segovia, with John I of Castile incorporating Chozas to the municipality of El Real de Manzanres in 1389.
In 1568 Philip II of Spain exempted Chozas from El Real de Manzanares.
The name Soto del Real has been in use since a 1959 vote in which the local population chose the name over Alameda de la Sierra or its historic one, Chozas de la Sierra. The town's coat of arms makes reference to both of the town's names.
Soto makes reference to the numerous trees and forests surrounding (in Spanish Sotos), del Real referring to its historical ties to El Real de Manzanares from 1389 till 1568.
The first weekend of August Soto del Real celebrates its festivities in honour of the Virgen del Rosario (Our Lady of the Rosary), patron of the municipality.
The 7 October, day of the Virgin of the Rosary, is also celebrated, as is 15 May, day of San Isidro
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Soto de Viñuelas is a meadow-oak forest north of the city of Madrid, south of Tres Cantos and San Agustín del Guadalix, east of the Monte de El Pardo and west of San Sebastián de los Reyes, all municipalities are parts of the Community of Madrid, Spain. Much of it is a fenced property of 3,000 hectares, which includes important ecological values, landscape and art. It belongs to the municipality of Madrid, although it contains small areas to the north, corresponding to Tres Cantos, including a development of the same name. Other developments nearby are Ciudalcampo and Fuente del Fresno, situated on its western boundary. King's College, the British School of Madrid, is also located in the development of Soto de Viñuelas, abutting the Regional Park. In 1985 Soto de Viñuelas was turned into the Regional Park of the Cuenca Alta del Manzanares, the largest protected natural area in the region. It has been classified as Area B, a legal instrument that allows agricultural land use. Soto de Viñuelas also received the status of Special Protection Area for Birds. It is accessed from the M-607 Freeway, exit 20. Soto de Viñuelas and Tres Cantos are both listed on the exit sign.
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Santillana reservoir, also known as Manzanares el Real reservoir, is a body of water along the Manzanares river located in the municipalities of Manzanares el Real and Soto del Real, in the Community of Madrid, in the centre of Spain. It has a maximum surface of 1052 ha, the longest distance between opposites shores reaches 30 kilometres (19 mi), and the total volume of the reservoir is 91 hm³. The first dam was built in 1907, but in 1969 a new and higher dam was built. This new construction was 5 m higher, which allowed the reservoir to have a volume twice as large as before.