The Guadarrama Pass ( es, Puerto de Guadarrama), also known as ''Alto del León'', is a mountain pass in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. It is located in the

Sierra de Guadarrama The Sierra de Guadarrama (Guadarrama Mountains) is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges along the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is located between the systems Sierra de G ...

, part of the

Sistema Central The Central System, Spanish and pt, Sistema Central, is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in the Iberian Peninsula. The 2,592 m high Pico Almanzor is its highest summit. The Central System is located just north of the 40th parallel a ...

system of ranges. Historically it has been an important communication line between Madrid and the North of Spain.

Geography

This pass is part of in

El Espinar El Espinar is a Spanish town located 65 kilometres away from Madrid city centre, more precisely heading northwest, in the northern slope of the Sistema Central mountain range. It belongs to the province of Segovia and to the autonomous Communi ...

municipal term, Segovia Province, on its northern side and

Guadarrama Guadarrama is a town and municipality in the Cuenca del Guadarrama comarca, in the Community of Madrid, Spain. Its population is 13,032 (winter, according to a 2006 census); the population swells to approximately 60,000 in summer. Its name com ...

, Madrid Province, on its southern side. It is located in the southern slopes of the high Cerro de la Sevillana, between the high

Cabeza Líjar In Mexican cuisine, ''cabeza'' (''lit.'' 'head') is the meat from a roasted head of an animal, served as taco or burrito fillings. Typically, the whole head is placed on a steamer or grill, and customers may ask for particular parts of the body ...

and high

La Peñota La Peñota () is a mountain of the Sierra de Guadarrama in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. The peak tops at 1,945 metres above sea level. It forms part of the border between the Spanish provinces of Segovia and Madrid, most specifically, the ...

peaks. The Guadarrama Pass is an important communication line between Segovia Province and the

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), an ...

area through the

N-VI The N-VI is a major highway in Spain. It connects Madrid to A Coruña. It has generally been up-graded or replaced by the Autovía A-6. It passes via Tordesillas, Ponferrada and Lugo Lugo (, ; la, Lucus Augusti) is a city in northwestern S ...

highway between Madrid and Corunna.

History

There are remains of

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...

s and trenches in the area of the pass. The rebel faction took the northern side of the range after the

Battle of Guadarrama The Battle of Guadarrama ( es, Batalla de Guadarrama, also known as ''Batalla de Somosierra'') was the first battle in the Spanish Civil War involving troops loyal to the Second Spanish Republic in the Guadarrama Range. The battle took place in t ...

and the Second Division of the

Spanish Republican Army The Spanish Republican Army ( es, Ejército de la República Española) was the main branch of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic between 1931 and 1939. It became known as People's Army of the Republic (''Ejército Popular de la Rep ...

operated in the area between December 1936 and March 1939.Carlos Engel, ''Historia de las Brigadas Mixtas del E. P. de la República'', 1999

References

External links

* Mountain passes of the Sistema Central Sierra de Guadarrama Mountain passes of Spain {{Spain-geo-stub

Geography

History

See also

References

External links