Route of the Civil War of the Water Front
The Civil War route of the Water Front is an itinerary that allows the visitor to see fortifications of different natures, visiting positions belonging to both the Republican side and the Francoist side.
Route of the Civil War of the Water Front
The route starts at the Interpretation Center, installed in the old wash house of Paredes de Buitrago; Once outside, the road is marked with milestones and explanatory panels in each position. This itinerary is a clear evidence of the importance of this space and the control of the nearby reservoirs throughout the war.
The route of the Civil War of the Water Front is a circular route with a length of 8 km that runs along a forest track. It starts in the Interpretation Center that has been installed in the old wash house of Paredes de Buitrago. In this space, in addition to a large map of the area in which the route and the military constructions documented in the area are indicated, panels have been installed to provide information on the historical period and a video about the daily life of the soldiers on this front of the northern sierra of Madrid.
The route has been designed so that the visitor can know a total of 26 elements of defensive architecture among which include trenches, machine gun nests, bunkers and other shelters.
The route starts from the square, crossing the lower part of the town, from where you take a path to the southwest to cross the M-135 road and reach the pine forest. After crossing the front zone where the positions of the republican army are located, the line that separates these from the positions of the Francoist army is passed. After turning east, the road returns to the M-135, returning to the municipality in parallel to this road.
The strategic importance of the Puentes Viejas area during the Civil War is due in large part to the presence of two reservoirs that supplied water to the population of Madrid, the El Villar reservoir, and the Puentes Viejas reservoir.
In the initial days of the military uprising, the rebel troops, led by Colonel García Escamez, took the port of Somosierra, going down to Buitrago where they encountered strong resistance from groups of militiamen and military loyal to the Republic, led by Captain Galán , which prevented them from continuing on their way to Madrid. At the end of August the front line in this area of the sierra was defined, and it remained almost unchanged throughout the entire war. Division 72 was deployed in the rebellious sector, this being its eastern sector (from Loma Quemada to la Quesera), facing the Mixed Brigades 26, 27 and 28 of the 1st Division of the republican army.
The arrest in the mountains of Madrid of the troops sent by General Mola was very important to avoid the rapid fall of the capital into the hands of the insurgents. The plans of Mola were paralyzed due to lack of strength, shortage of ammunition and serious resistance raised by the Republican militias. At the end of July, Mola decided to advance through the eastern part of the valley to take control of both reservoirs, heading and occupying Buitrago Walls and the nearby heights. It was fought for more than a month to protect the water supply, starting the construction of the first trenches, parapets and shelters, which later were reinforced by both sides with machine-gun nests, underground shelters, resistance centers, etc., creating a large defensive military framework.
The importance and weakness of this sector motivated the sending of new columns from Madrid. Manuel Torres Campañá, integrated into the workers of Canales del Lozoya (name during the Second Republic of the Canal de Isabel II), arrive in Puentes Viejas and, after the union of other forces, they manage to establish a defense line north of the reservoirs , where they will stop the attacks of Mola's forces. Later, Torres Campañá's concern and insistence led to the strengthening of the positions on the right flank of the reservoirs, as they were sparsely garrisoned. Once the lines were stabilized, the rebel commanders ordered it to remain in a "defensive situation" while the attacks were concentrated in the south and east of Madrid. All these events made the front stabilize in this area, developing important fortification work on both sides. Fortification works were carried out in both sectors to control a large front.
Image gallery
Position El Pinar 2
It is an underground shelter carved out of rock. Its access is built with a concrete front on which rises a section of the same size of masonry.
Position Loma Quemada 5
Machine gun nest. It maintains its structure and all its elements, characterized by its concealment in the ground
Position El Pinar 1
Franco's army command post located to the rear behind the first line of fire.
Position Loma Quemada 2
It corresponds to a republican machine gun nest whose cover was destroyed after the end of the war, in order to extract the metal that was inside.
Low 1 clubs position
Machine gun nest of the Francoist army.
Archaeological performance
For the adaptation of these remains, research work has been carried out, carrying out an exhaustive study of each of the assets and their surroundings, and subsequently, work of consolidation, archaeological excavation and conditioning for the visit.
On the way, metallic milestones with indications and explanatory signs have been placed in each of the fortifications. Thanks to this enhancement, the visitor can see the fortifications of the "Loma Quemada" position, on the Republican front, and the fortifications of the "El Pinar" and "Peñas Bajas" positions, of the Francoist army.
Archives
Description of the route Water front (3.66 MB) Map of the route (37.67 MB)