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Located 10 miles (16 kilometers) northwest of Madrid is the "bedroom" community of Majadahonda. Majadahonda is an "old" city that has become "new" again. Originally when it was settled in the mid 13th Century it was primarily a place for shepards to graze their flock. By 1570 it had 640 inhabitants, but the population was still primarily raising sheep and growing wheat and grapes. As such it was still a relatively poor place, at least in relation to Madrid. By 1850 the population had actually reduced to about 560 inhabitants, and they were still farming and raising sheep. The Spanish Civil War (1936) devastated Majadahonda and it was almost completely destroyed. By 1960 the population had rebuilt itself to 1,500. People had begun to move out of Madrid and settled in towns such as Majadahonda where it was less crowded and housing was cheaper. By 1979 the population had gradually crept up to just under 15,000. But in the last 20 years the population has really boomed, almost tripling to its present population of 42,000 in an area of about 20 square miles. At present because it is close to Madrid and has still retained its natural beauty Majadahonda has become very desirable place to live. It is now home to many Government Ministers and other important and famous people. The citizens of Majadahonda knew that if they kept building up new office buildings, houses and apartments that they would would lose their open spaces and natural beauty. Therefore they are very careful about allowing any new buildings. This has limited the number of available places to live. And because it is such a nice place to live no one wants to move out. As such for the cost of a small apartment in Majadahonda you could purchase a 2 - 3 bedroom house in Madrid. Although Majadahonda may not have the many old buildings that would appeal to tourists it has plenty to do for the people who live there. In addition to a young people's orchestra (Joven Orquesta de Majadahonda) it also has plenty of athletic facilities, parks and something that someone might not associate with Spain, "Club Hielo Majadahonda" a hockey team. |
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Club Hielo Majadahonda was
started in 1995. Notice the team symbol. In the center is a bear (which being
on a symbol for a sports team, obviously would be fierce looking). The bear has a
connection to the symbol for Madrid which is a bear.
The red background and the seven white stars are from the flag
of the province of Madrid. |
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The crest of Majadahonda is interesting. As was stated above, the principal occupation of the people from Majadahonda was farming, growing among other things grapes and raising sheep. On the left side of the crest is a sheep, above the Sierra Nevada mountains (which are outside of Majadahonda) and below that a sheep pen (or Majada) which could be the derivation of the town's name. On the right panel is a bunch of grapes, which was one of the crops that they raised. In the bottom panel is a tower or fort. |
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Hold your mouse over the cube to play with
the spinning pictures. Click once to stop it and then double-click it to see more
scenes of Majadahonda. |
