The Manzanares is a river in central Spain, which at one point passes through Madrid. The river Manzanares has its source near the Navacerrada mountain pass in the Guadarrama mountain range. In the ...more details >high section of its basin it is surrounded by the Parque Regional de la Cuenca Alta del Manzanares, a nature reserve. The Manzanares flows in a south-eastern direction from its source, and passes through the medieval town of Manzanares el Real where it forms the Santillana reservoir, one of the most important water supplies for the capital.
 
Manzanares el Real is a 6,140 inhabitant town in the northern area of the autonomous Community of Madrid.  It is located at the foot of The Pedriza, a part of the Sierra de Guadarrama, and next to the embalse de Santillana (the Santillana reservoir).
 
Located in Manzanares el Real is the Castle of the Mendoza, the best conserved castle in the Community of Madrid. Construction commencing in 1475, it has been used in several motion pictures, most notably El Cid.
 
The river Manzanares, although small and relatively unimportant geographically, has had a great historical importance due to its close relation to the city of Madrid. The city was founded by the Moors as a citadel overlooking the river in the ninth century.
 
The river also features in many paintings of the late 18th to early 19th-century painter Francisco de Goya, which show traditionally dressed Madrileños in activities like dancing or having picnics next to the river.
 
The Manzanares was also an important defence line for the Republican forces during the Siege of Madrid in the Spanish Civil War, and many bunkers can still be seen near the village of Perales del Río. This river has now gone underground and is no longer navigable.
 
 
Manzanares, see Wikipedia (last visited Feb. 16, 2009).
Manzanares el Real, see Wikipedia (last visited Feb. 16, 2009).< hide more details