General Information:

Colmenar de Oreja is located in the South of the Province of Madrid, about 50 km from the capital, and demarcated to the North by the districts of Valdelaguna, Chinchón and Villaconejos; to the South, by the province of Toledo and the districts of Villarrubia de Santiago, Noblejas, Oreja, Ocaña and Aranjuez, on the watershed of the river Tajo; to the East, by the districts of Belmonte del Tajo, Villarejo de Salvanés and Villarrubia de Santiago; and to the West, by the district of Aranjuez.

Climate: Continental climate. Annual mean temperature: 14ºC. Average for the month of January: 5ºC. Average for the month of July: 25ºC. Average sunshine: 2,800 hours per annum. Rainfall: 400 mm per annum.

Vegetation: Areas of thyme and esparto grass. Small areas of pine, holm oak and gall oak woodland. Along the riverbanks, poplar groves, willow groves, reedbeds and elm groves..

Population: Has currently levelled off to around 7,500 inhabitants.

WINE AND WINE CELLARS:

Among the wines with a guarantee of origin of the Madrid Regulatory Council, young Colmenar de Oreja wines are worth a mention, with their crisp taste, good level of acidity and rather low alcohol content.

Bodega Antonio Benito Peral Trav. San Juan, 1 91 894 34 80 Vinos don Gil, Zacatín y Órdago

Bodega Antonio Peral c/ Bajada Monjas, 4 91 894 32 37 Vino Peral, jóvenes y sobremadre, La Menina y Limoncillo Peral

Bodega Figueroa c/ Convento, 21 91 894 48 59 Vino Figueroa y Vino Espumoso Natural

Bodega Pedro García Carrero c/ Soledad, 10 91 894 32 78 Vino Viña Carrascal, Isla San Pedro

Bodega Jesús Díaz c/ Convento, 38 91 894 33 78 Vinos Jesús Díaz, Brut Nature y Heredad Torresano

Coop. de vino El Arco-SAT 2900 c/ San Juan, 7 91 894 31 50 Vino Canteras y El Arco

Bodega Julio Herrera Solera c/ Arco, 14 91 894 34 07 Vino Viña Solera, Julio Herrera y Mouriz

Bodega Cristian García Herrero c/ Diego Serrano, 8 91 894 48 72 Vino José Cristian

OTHER TYPICAL PRODUCTS

Quesos Ciriaco Castaño c/ Convento, 8 91 894 33 16

Cooperativa Aceite Santo Cristo c/ Afuera Tinajeros, 24 91 894 25 37

Ajos y Conservas ecológicas Cachopo c/ Convento, 14 91 894 32 31

Aceites y Salazones Sanz Galán c/ Bancos de Bazán, 20 91 894 31 95

Canteras de Colmenar c/ Ctra. de Valdelaguna 91 894 33 91

History:

Oreja and Colmenar de Oreja, Castilianisations of the Latin Aureliae and Apis Aureliae, were in ancient times part of a whole, in which Oreja was the main part and Colmenar an annexe. Both towns are the result of Roman rule, while a number of archaeological finds point to the site where Hannibal’s routing of the Carpetanos took place in 220 BC below Oreja, It owes its name to the Roman settlement that was founded around the time of proconsul Scipio and consul Aurelio. Following Roman, Visigoth and Arab rule, Oreja made the history books again in the guise of an Arab stronghold which was finally conquered by emperor Alphonse VII himself in the year 1139, which had a far-reaching impact on the chronicles of the time, and above all, on the fascinating historic and legal piece which constitutes the Oreja Code of Laws, which is kept in the National Historical Archive. In 1171 Alphonse VIII yielded Oreja castle to the Order of St James (Orden de Santiago), led by Don Pedro Fernández de Fuentecalada, and with it the surrounding villages, among them Colmenar of old. In 1540 it passed from the estate of Santiago to the House of the Duke of Maqueda and then the House of the Duke of Frías, under whose estate it remained until their abolition.

Gastronomy:

- “Patatas Chulas”: Cut the potatoes into thick slices. Place in a pan with medium-hot olive oil and whilst it is heating up add the potato slices a few at a time. Leave to stand in a container, garnishing with garlic, parsley and a hint of vinegar

- “Carne al desarreglo”: Fry an onion without browning, and add pieces of beef with salt to taste. The secret is to “cook slowly” so that the meat cooks in its juices. After two hours add the unpeeled cloves of garlic, and carry on cooking. Once the meat has absorbed the juices, add Colmenar de Oreja white wine until it covers the stew. When the wine has been soaked up, add half a kilo of washed tomatoes.

- “Pozas”: Put a mixture of oil, onion, chopped tomato, sour marinade, paprika and salt inside white or Oreja bread.

- “Pisto Vaquero”: Garnish large pieces of meat, beef or rabbit, in a pan with oil, onion, green pepper, marrow and tomato. Then cover with white wine and leave it so that it is gradually soaked up.

Places of Interest:

- Main Square: A fine example of a porticoed Castilian square, located above a huge stone tunnel. Construction began in 1676 and was completed in 1794.

- Church of St Mary the Elder: Building was started by the Order of Santiago during the middle part of the 13th century. Access is via three façades, Ionic, Tuscan and Doric, in that order. The splendid 62 metre high spire is attributed to Juan de Herrera.

- Convent of the Incarnation: The building of the Monastery of the Incarnation dates from the 17th century, although it was founded in 1536. The righthand side is occupied by the Convent and the left by what was the Palatial Residence of the Count of Colmenar. The complex occupies a surface of 6.750 m2 and, besides the convent church, it has a low choir, an ecclesiastical chapter, a work chamber, 24 cells, a novitiate, a refectory, a beautiful cloister, garden and orchard. The convent church can only be visited during hours of worship.

- “Diéguez” Municipal Theatre: Built over the old Charity Hospital, in the middle of 19th century, it was called the comedy open-air theatre and then the Charity Theatre.

- “Ulpiano Checa” Municipal Museum: It contains the most extensive collection of works by Ulpiano Checa (1860-1916), mostly historical paintings from the end of the 19th century, oriental style paintings and genre paintings.

- Fountain and Gardens of the “Orchards”: The water channels are from 1616 and construction of the box and trough is from 1779. It was restored in 1992, earning a special mention in the 2nd Architecture Biennial meeting. The gardened area, with the stone flooring in the whole complex, forms an area of serene beauty.

- Chapels and Calvary Gardens: There are two chapels, one from the 16th century and the other, baroque, from the 17th century with ashlar walls. It houses the image of the Patron Saint of the town: Christ of the Calvary.

- Panoramic views: The best views are from the wall of the Descaderado neighbourhood and from the gardens of the Chapel of Christ of the Calvary itself.

- The kilns: The production of jugs for making and storing wine was one of the main features of the town.

- The Colmenar stone quarries: by a quirk of nature, within a limited area of about 30 ha. an exceptional vein of whiter limestone, of extraordinary quality and beauty, has formed. The inhabitants of Colmenar excavated it for building the Royal Palaces of Madrid and Aranjuez and countless monuments in Madrid, being sculptors’ material of choice.

- Chapel of St Roque: The Chapel has a main façade of stonework topped off with a stone belfry, with a bell and entrance portico at the front, the roof of which is supported by beautiful stone pillars carved in Colmenar stone.

- Chapel of St John: Comprises a wide, solidly and simply built nave, the wooden frame that supports the roof being of particular note. During the War of Independence it was used as general barracks by the French.