Villanueva de la Cañada

City Hall in Villanueva de la Cañada
The El Campesino directing Republican soldiers at Villanueva de la Cañada; 1937

Villanueva de la Cañada is a municipality in the west of the Comunidad de Madrid (España), north-west of the city of Madrid. It borders Valdemorillo and Villanueva del Pardillo to the North, Majadahonda, Boadilla del Monte and Villaviciosa de Odón to the East, Brunete to the South and borders Quijorna to the West.

It has a resident population of 18,425 (INE 2012), which increases to almost 30,000 due to the Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio.

It covers an area of 34.92 km², 30 km from the capital. Geographically, it sits on a large plain, in which there are several promontories of rare height, on one of which is found the castle of Aulencia o de Villafranca, its principal monument.

There are numerous populated areas surrounding the edge of the urban centre, due to a strong push towards urbanisation of the municipality. Guadamonte, La Raya del Palancar, Villafranca del Castillo and la Mocha Chica are the most developed.

Geography

Villanueva de la Cañada is watered by the rivers Guadarrama and Aulencia, as well as various streams. These drain eventually into the river Guadarrama, which drains in turn into the Tajo.

Geologically, its limits form part of the depression of the Tajo and it is defined by the existence of many alluvial fields, with an average elevation of 652 metres.

History

El Campesino comandando al ejército republicano en Villanueva de la Cañada; 1937.

Major roads

The municipal limits of Villanueva de la Cañada are crossed by the following major roads:

Public transport

Villanueva de la Cañada is connected by several coach lines:

Notable residents

See also

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Villanueva de la Cañada.

Statistics

Road maps, cartography and aerial photography

Others

General references