Today I would like to talk to you about an abandoned village, in the centre of Spain: Fresno de Torote. This village, with little more than 2000 inhabitants, belongs to the Community of Madrid, it is 15 km from Alcalá de Henares and 34 km from Madrid. It is concentrated, in the village of Serracines.
The territory is crossed by the river Torote.
The river Torote
Now, this village is half-abandoned; but formerly it had a lot of activity and depended on the small village of Serracines.
Serracines
If you want to go to Fresno de Torote, you must take the road M-113 (Km 16 to 22), which runs from north to south, from the village Daganzo de arriba.
Map of Fresno de Torote
The arrival to Fresno de Torote
Entrance to Fresno de Torote
The majority of the inhabitants of Fresno de Torote live in the small village of Serracines. And there they are: the City Hall, the Medical Center, the parish church, the Market, etc.
Fresno de Torote was founded by the first Marquis of Santillana, in the 15th century.
The first Marquis of Santillana
In the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, appeared the remains of Juan Hurtado de Mendoza and Luján (second Lord of Fresno de Torote).
The sarcophagus of Juan Hurtado de Mendoza
The church of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion from behind
This church stands out for its construction, in brick and stone masonry; the building dates from the end of the XVI century, following the canons of Mudejar architecture. It has been in restoration, for some years, the facade is very well finished and the interior is inaccessible to people.
If you follow a few metres, you will find the main square of the village, on the right.
The main square and the fountain of Fresno de Torote
Until recently, the village has belonged to two families of the Aristocracy: the Marquises of Quirós and the Counts of Torrepalma. Therefore, Fresno de Torote was a village inhabited by the workers of these families, mainly beef farmers and farmers.
You can not walk through the roads around the village, because the village is surrounded by crop fields.
Private hunting grounds / Private rural property / Do not enter
On the outskirts of Fresno de Torote, stands the abandoned Hermitage of the Solitude, it was in a state of ruin, but was rebuilt recently, at least the façade; from the gate with bars, you can see its interior, but there is nothing, its altarpiece was moved.
Hermitage of the Solitude in front
A house in ruin
There are many houses in ruin, even though braced.
As a reminder of the past, there are still iron swings, in the centre of the village.
Another abandoned house:
Furniture "The factory"
The urban centre of Fresno de Torote is located, in a zone of special protection, for the birds (ZEPA), for that reason, many of these protected birds nest in the demolished houses and in the tower of the church of this village.
Area with special protection
If you can go the next three days (July, 15-16-17), you will see the presentation of the new Peugeot 2008, inside the village.
Peugeot 2008
The Peugeot 2008 on one circuit
There, you will see two circuits, starting from the estate built on the remains of the small palace of the first Marquis of Santillana, in the 15th century, where the characteristics of the new Peugeot 2008 will be tested, on a rough terrain.
Peugeot will be the life of the called “Casa del Olivar” (House of the olive grove), with food and drink stalls, artisan markets, live performances and activities for children.
Well, I hope that you can go there now or another time, to visit this curious village. If you do it, please tell me about.
Until my next post, kind regards,
Luis.
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