Discover Torrejón De Velasco

Torrejón De Velasco offers both historic buildings and nature-related attractions to consider when planning a trip. Cultural highlights include Castillo de Puñonrostro, Iglesia de San Esteban Protomártir and Ermita de San Nicasio; nature highlights include the Cerro de los Batallones fossil site, a protected wetland and a cycling route. If you are looking for a hotel, you can first consider whether architecture and history or landscapes and outdoor activities should be the focus of your stay.

Castle and historical uses

Castillo de Puñonrostro is a late-medieval castle in Torrejón de Velasco dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. It has a rectangular ground plan measuring 37 × 21 metres and a total of ten towers. These dimensions describe the site as concretely as the number of its towers, giving the building a clearly defined architectural outline.

Castillo de Torrejón de Velasco was temporarily used as a prison during the early modern period. In 1775, a soap factory and a wool-spinning mill were established there. These uses offer a perspective on the castle’s history that extends beyond its medieval construction period.

Churches, chapels and traditions

Iglesia de San Esteban Protomártir dates from the 15th century and is protected as a Bien de Interés Cultural. Its ground plan is in the shape of a Latin cross. The façades combine reddish-brown brick and masonry panels with buttresses. This allows the ground plan and façade design to be considered as different aspects of the building.

Ermita de San Nicasio is dedicated to the patron saint of Torrejón de Velasco and was already in existence at the beginning of the 17th century. The San Nicasio festivities include a procession in which the patron saint is carried from the ermita to Iglesia de San Esteban Protomártir. If you would like to plan your trip around these festivities, check the current dates in advance.

Fuente de la Teja is next to Ermita de San Isidro. It dates from 1898 and was formerly used as a watering trough for livestock. Its former purpose differs from the religious dedications and architectural forms of the churches and chapels: here, the focus is on a former everyday use.

Experience fossils and nature

Cerro de los Batallones is considered one of the world’s most important Miocene fossil sites because of the quantity, quality and diversity of its fossils. It is protected as a Bien de Interés Cultural in the category of a palaeontological site and is included in the Comunidad de Madrid’s Plan de Yacimientos Visitables. If you are planning a visit, please check the current access conditions in advance.

The area also offers a glimpse into the history of the landscape: it is possible to reconstruct an ecosystem that existed around 10 million years ago. This included a large freshwater lake in the central part of the Madrid Basin. A colony of lesser kestrels (Falco naumanni) also lives in Castillo de Puñonrostro; its size is estimated at around 50 breeding pairs.

Encharcamientos del arroyo Guatén is a ten-hectare protected wetland in the natural area of Torrejón de Velasco. Visitors can go hiking and birdwatching there; the area is also significant for its botany and fauna. For travellers more interested in observing nature and being active than in architectural history, it offers a different focus.

A six-kilometre section of CiclaMadrid connects Torrejón de Velasco with Cubas de la Sagra. This offers a choice of two different nature activities: hiking and birdwatching are possible in the wetland, while CiclaMadrid provides a cycling route with a specified length and destination.

Discover more destinations: Torremocha De Jarama, Santo Domingo, Brunete, Villarejo De Salvanés, Canencia, Santorcaz, Santa María de la Alameda, Braojos.

For the main travel overview: Madrid.