Colmenar Viejo, Municipality in Community of Madrid, Spain.
Colmenar Viejo is a municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain, spreading across hilly terrain north of the capital. The center clusters around a 15th-century church, while residential and commercial zones form the outer areas.
Settlements existed here in late antiquity, as burial sites and Latin inscriptions at the Ermita de Remedios show. During the Middle Ages the town grew as a supply center for Madrid, mainly through beekeeping and livestock.
The municipality takes its name from the beehives that once populated this area, providing honey to Madrid markets. Today the old town preserves narrow streets and stone houses that recall this agricultural past, while newer neighborhoods spread along the hillsides.
The old town is easy to explore on foot, with cafés and shops around the central square. Visitors arriving by car can find parking at the edge of the center, while trains and buses from Madrid stop at the station nearby.
The bullring La Corredera, built in 1891, ranks as the second most important in Spain after Las Ventas in Madrid. Every February 2nd residents parade decorated artificial cattle figures through the streets, recalling old livestock migration routes.
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