Logbook · 6 places

What to see and do in Patones

What to see and do in Patones (Sierra Norte, Madrid): 6 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 1 Nature · 1 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones

How far each place is from the centre of Patones

Historic ensemble of Patones de Arriba 1.4 km
Cave of el Reguerillo 4.8 km

Towns near Patones

What to see in Uceda 2.4 km · 7 places
What to see in Torremocha de Jarama 2.5 km · 1 place
What to see in Torrelaguna 5.5 km · 5 places
What to see in El Berrueco 7.3 km · 3 places
What to see in El Cubillo de Uceda 7.5 km · 3 places
What to see in Cervera de Buitrago 8.3 km · 2 places
What to see in El Atazar 8.9 km · 3 places
What to see in Casa de Uceda 9.8 km · 6 places

Spain › Community of Madrid › Sierra Norte › Patones

What to see and do in Patones

Patones
Village
Patones is a municipality of Madrid with 617 inhabitants divided between Patones de Abajo, in the vega of the Jarama, and Patones de Arriba, a hamlet of black slate declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) in 1999 for its well-preserved heritage. From the Middle Ages until 1750 the village had hereditary kings, a tradition recorded by travellers such as Antonio Ponz in 1781; the title of hamlet independent from Uceda, granted in 1769, coincided with the disappearance of that institution. In the 19th century, during the reign of Isabella II, the Pontón de la Oliva dam and the canal that carried water to Madrid were built. Patones de Abajo was founded around 1940, when some residents of Patones de Arriba moved down to settle the vega of the Jarama after the road linking it with Torrelaguna was opened.
Historic ensemble of Patones de Arriba
Monument
A hamlet built entirely of slate slabs, the foremost example of what is known as the black architecture of Madrid. It was left empty when its inhabitants moved down into the valley and was restored afterwards; it has been listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) since 1999.
Legend of the King of Patones
Curiosity
Chronicles and legends tell of a picturesque hereditary monarchy that survived in the remote Castilian village of Patones until 1769, perhaps of Visigothic origin. Ten or twelve families acknowledged the authority of an elder whom they called king, a hereditary office that in practice was equivalent to that of a mayor or justice of the peace. The first written reference dates from 1653, when the king of Patones asked Cardinal Moscoso for the ermita to be built; by 1750 the village had already petitioned the Duke of Uceda for the appointment of a hamlet magistrate. It was Charles III who ended the Patones dynasty when it refused to pay taxes. Throughout the 18th century the legend was taken as true in numerous books, among them Antonio Ponz's Viaje de España, which recorded it in 1781.
Dam of the Pontón de la Oliva
Monument
The dam of the Pontón de la Oliva, in the municipality of Patones, is the oldest in the entire dam system of the Canal de Isabel II, the network that supplies drinking water to Madrid. It was built in the mid-19th century on the Lozoya, in a natural gorge called the cerro de la Oliva, following the 1848 design of the engineers Juan Rafo and Juan de Ribera. The first stone was laid on 11 August 1851, attended by the prince consort Francisco de Asís de Borbón; on the works, until 1856, 1,500 prisoners from the Carlist Wars and 200 free labourers worked, in conditions so harsh that they caused a cholera epidemic. The karst of its basin let the reservoir seep away and it could never be properly exploited, which forced the damming of the waters further upstream.
Cave of el Reguerillo
Nature
A karst cavity considered the most important in the Community of Madrid for its scientific and speleological interest, declared a monument of national interest in 1944. Between 1970 and 1974 palaeontological excavations directed by Trinidad de Torres were carried out there, bringing to light remains of cave bears. Its easy access and closeness to Madrid attracted groups with no speleological knowledge, who filled it with rubbish and graffiti and reduced its bat colony almost to extinction, which is why since November 2006 it has remained closed with gates and padlocks by order of the Dirección General de Patrimonio de la Comunidad de Madrid, which fines anyone who tries to enter. It preserves several levels of galleries cut into limestone, with access now restricted.
Foundation stone of the Pontón de la Oliva dam
Historical milestone
The king consort Francisco de Asís laid the first stone of the dam on the Lozoya that was to supply Madrid. It was built by convicts from the Carlist wars in extremely harsh conditions, and its water reached the capital in June 1858.