Public archeology: The Old Castle of Manzanares El Real

It is the great unknown of the Madrid castles, of which its promoter or its date of construction are not recorded. It stands as a new social archeology project, promoted by the Manzanares El Real City Council and with the support of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Community of Madrid, with the implementation of a research plan that allows unveiling its mysteries and creating a new cultural and scientific enclave that favors local development. 

Located on a hillock that dominates La Pedriza, the course of the Manzanares river and the Cañada Real Segoviana, are the remains of a fortress known as Castillo Viejo, of which its walls are preserved to a height of approximately three meters. Built with granite masonry and brick tapes, its plan is rectangular and has three cylindrical towers, in addition to the Torre del Homenaje, which has a square plan and almost fourteen meters on each side. The access door to the fortress was in the center of the eastern facade, although today it is lost. This construction presents similarities with some castles of the Community of Madrid such as those of Buitrago (XIV-XV centuries) Santorcaz (XIV) or Villafranca (mid-XV century). 

After the town council acquired the plot on which the fortress is located, clearing work was carried out that allowed a study with georadar to be carried out, as a basis for planning the following archaeological actions. A multidisciplinary team has directed the project, seeking to position itself as a benchmark for archaeological research in the region. The social aspect has also been chosen on this occasion, since the potential of the building and its surroundings will allow the development of dissemination, training and enhancement actions. In this way, archeology, architecture, restoration, material analysis, documentary research, training and implications for the Environment come together, within the project of the Cuenca Alta del Manzanares Regional Park and the Sierra National Park. Guadarrama, areas of maximum environmental protection for their outstanding natural values.