San Lorenzo de El Escorial

Elevation and hydrography The township's average altitude is . Most of the town is situated at about above sea level, including the Monastery of El Escorial, which lies approximately above the town. The highest part is the top of Mount Abantos, which is above sea level. The town covers a total area of , most of which is mountainous terrain. In the south of the municipality is the Circo de El Escorial, bordered by the southern slopes of Mount Abantos to the south and the hills to the north. North, along the slope of , lies the Valle de los Caídos (Valley of the Fallen), near the border with Guadarrama. Towards the Southwest, the municipality extends down to El Escorial by the parks and gardens of the Casita del Príncipe. San Lorenzo de El Escorial lies in the watershed of the Guadarrama river. The , born in Las Machotas, is the main tributary of the Guadarrama, after crossing the neighbouring village of El Escorial. The streams include small reservoirs. Vegetation The types of vegetation differ due to the municipality's fluctuation in altitude. In its lower altitudes, about , there are pastures with narrow-leafed ash (Fraxinus angustifolia); and in the forest of La Herrería grow Pyrenean oaks (Quercus pyrenaica), sweet chestnuts (Castanea sativa) and Montpellier maples (Acer monspessulanum). In the higher altitudes () appear maritime (Pinus pinaster) and stone pines (Pinus pinea), as well as holm oaks (Quercus ilex), prickly junipers (Juniperus oxycedrus) and labdanum (Cistus ladanifer). Up to grows Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and black pine (Pinus nigra). San Lorenzo de El Escorial also has some allochthonous in its mountain areas, plant species as beech (American beech), cedars, larches, Lawson cypresses (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), and sycamores (Acer pseudoplatanus). Students of a forestry school planted these trees during the early 20th century. There are also trees of historical significance, including giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum), planted in the 18th century in the parks and gardens of the Casita del Príncipe. Much of the municipality is contained within the "Abantos pine forest" and the Herrería zone, a protected nature area since 1961 and extends to an area that San Lorenzo de El Escorial shares with Santa María de la Alameda. The center of environmental education houses a collection of over 200 species of trees and bushes native to the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands. ==History==

was built in the 16th century. Two centuries later the town emerged in the vicinity of the building, which resulted, in the 19th century, in the current municipality. promoted a new territorial and administrative organization in the area, which was the origin of the current municipality of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The history of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is inexorably linked to the construction of the monastery and the town named El Escorial. The first historical references of this building date year 1558 where Philip II of Spain appointed a commission to find a proper place for the site, architects, doctors and quarrymen, among other guilds. The hamlet of El Escorial met physical conditions for carrying out such company.{{cite book Builders placed the first stone of the monastery on April 23, 1563. A year earlier, Philip II began efforts to acquire the land adjacent to the site of the future monastery, with the intention of creating a territory of realengo, Royal Site of El Escorial, intended for agriculture, fishing, hunting and recreational uses. Among them were the meadow (Dehesa) of the ironworks of Fuentelámparas (today called La Herrería), located in the current term of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, and La Granjilla de La Fresneda de El Escorial, farms in the neighbouring village of El Escorial. Construction lasted 21 years, which transformed the urban and social environment of El Escorial. The hamlet became a villa in 1565.{{cite book Through two papal bulls issued dated 1585 and 1586, the Roman Catholic Church removed the monastery from the control of the powerful Archbishop of Toledo and placed it under the monastery's Prior. This administrative structure remained well into the 18th century, when the monarch Carlos III imposed a new territorial and administrative framework. The construction of houses, expressly prohibited in the outskirts of the monastery, was the cause of a dispute that faced the municipal authorities, who promoted a modification of the rules, and those who sought to restrict new construction. The subject was particularly delicate in those days, given the frequent visits of the royal family to the site; these visits led to an increase in demand for land to build houses and support buildings mainly for civil servants working in the royal household. The resolution of the conflict came from King Carlos III, who, on May 3, 1767, authorized housing next to the market of the monastery, which was the birth of the municipality of San Lorenzo de El Escorial and the beginning of a process which culminated in the emancipation of the town from El Escorial. The development of this new hamlet was very fast, reaching a population of more than a thousand only a few years after Carlos III allowed the town's expansion. The new settlement emerging at the foot of the monastery did not achieve self-rule until much later. The administrative structure designed by Philip II was blurring, first with the appointment of a governor by Carlos III—detrimental to the powers of the Lord Mayor and El Escorial's Prior—and, subsequently, with the privatization of land. This was key to the structural development of the current municipality of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, since this privatization extended over most of the royal lands except for the Herrería farms, land surrounding the monastery, the Prince's Cottage and the Infant's Cottage. On September 26, 1836, San Lorenzo de El Escorial became an independent municipality. In 1887, it elected its first mayor. To date, 22 people have served in this role. During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), the people remained loyal to the Republican government and briefly changed the town's name to El Escorial of the Sierra.{{cite book Today the city of San Lorenzo de El Escorial consists of 12 localities: Colmenar del Arroyo, Colmenarejo, El Escorial, Fresnedillas de la Oliva, Navalagamella, Robledo de Chavela, Santa María de la Alameda, Valdemaqueda, Valdemorillo, Villanueva del Pardillo and Zarzalejo, and the monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. ==Demography==

San Lorenzo de El Escorial had 17,346 inhabitants, according to the National Institute of statistics (INE), as of 2008. At that time It had a population density of 307.55 inhabitants/square km (796.55 inhabitants/square mile), similar to other municipalities like El Escorial, but much lower than the regional average of the Comunidad de Madrid (808.17 inhabitants/square km (2,093.16 inhabitants/square mile)). The density was more than three times the Spanish average of 94.06 inhabitants/square km (243.62 inhabitants/square mile). The area is culturally diverse, with large numbers of Moroccan and Latin American immigrants. As of 2006, 51.7% of San Lorentinos were women and the remaining 48.3% were men. Foreigners represent 10.07% of the total population. The average age was 37.8 years. The annual population growth was 4.2%. The transient population of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is very high. This is a major residential site; second homes proliferated with usage during weekends and vacation periods. In addition, the municipality receives daily large numbers of tourists attracted by its historical and natural heritage. ==Economy==

Tourism, hospitality and trade are the main economic activities of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The municipality is one of the most important tourist destinations in the community of Madrid. Visitors usually make day trips with Madrid tourism as a starting point. The number of tourists staying overnight are insignificant as in other historical cities in the region, such as Alcalá de Henares, Aranjuez or Chinchón. In recent years, the town has attempted to consolidate hotel tourism, trade fairs, conventions and cultural and educational nature courses. The Universidad Complutense holds summer courses to promote San Lorenzo de El Escorial as a Euroforum installations. The municipality has 10 hotels with a total of 611 rooms (year 2006). Inside of this municipality are two of the most visited monuments in the nation national. The Monastery of El Escorial is the second most visited monument with highest number of visits (504,238 tourists 2004), short of the Royal Palace of Madrid (720,710 in the same year). The Valley of the Fallen, located on the outskirts of town, is the third in the national list (407,578). Construction is another economic activity on the rise in San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Although much of its area is protected, as with the Herrería forests, the town has experienced strong urban growth in recent years, with the creation of new housing developments in areas that lack legal protection from development. This is the case of the southeastern slope of Mount Abantos, which has many newly constructed neighbourhoods, especially after the August 21, 1999, fire that burned of pine. ==Main sights==

, Spain could have a pre-Roman source. The town has an important historical-artistic, urban and cultural heritage, a result of its link with the Spanish crown. It adds relevant ecological, geological and archaeological values. Part of the monument is listed with the heritage list of UNESCO. In addition, this site has been awarded bien de Interés Cultural, in the category of historical sites, with the name of "Escorial: monastery, natural and cultural environment", from the community of Madrid. The last legal figure, approved by Decree 52/2006 (June 21), also includes the towns of El Escorial, Zarzalejo and Santa María de la Alameda. This is the area which was within the so-called domain of Philip II, with which the monarch delineated the perimeter of the royal site in the area around the Monasterio. World Heritage sites On November 2, 1984, during the quadricentennial of the placement of the last stone of the monastery's construction, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, added "El Escorial, monastery and site" to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The List defines territorial protection for the Monasterio de El Escorial, the Casita of Infante (or upper palace), and the Casita del Principe (or lower palace) at El Escorial. This building, one of the main Renaissance monuments in Spain, was erected in the last third of the 16th century on Mount Abantos at the height of . Juan Bautista de Toledo began work on the project, but it was finished after his death by Juan de Herrera, who imposed a new architectural style. where, according to legend, sat the monarch to view the progress of the works of the monastery -- although it is currently believed that it was actually a religious altar of the ancient Vettones. • The Herrería, historic farm, formerly known as the Dehesa of the Fuentelámparas Ironworks, is of great ecological interest. It is populated by ash and oak forests. • Del Castañar, a historic farm with important environmental attractions. • Casita Park, containing parks and gardens built in the neoclassical Stupinigi environment, is shared between the municipalities of El Escorial and San Lorenzo de El Escorial. • Suites of offices: The first two were built by Juan de Herrera 16th century and the third, Juan de Villanueva was built in the 18th century. They are currently home to a small church and different facilities managed by the Town Council of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. This is the case of the House of culture of the municipal library, the tourist office, the Father Soler Professional Conservatory of Music, and the Royal Centre for integrated music and training in plastic arts. Additionally, the first suite of offices is the provisional headquarters of the Instituto de Estudios Herrerianos, which will host the legacy of the architect and investigator Luis Cervera Vera. • Houses by Juan de Villanueva: • • Casita del Príncipe • The Royal Colosseum of Carlos III, built in the 18th century, and popularly known as the Bombonera Theatre.{{cite book • The company home, built in the 16th century by Mora Francisco, today serves as the headquarters of Maria Cristina University. • The Valley of the Fallen, by extension, is included within the historical territory of the El Escorial monastery, site, and natural and cultural environment site. This memorial was built in the 20th century at the request of dictator Francisco Franco. It is perched on the Risco of Nava at 1.39m (4.56 ft) altitude, in the place known as Cuelgamuros. A cross marks the site, which consists of a basilica carved on stone, an abbey, and an inn. At the base of the cross, there are sculptures of the Evangelists by D'avalos John. ==Celebrities==

San Lorenzo de El Escorial had close historical ties with the Spanish Crown, as place of residence and burial site of different monarchs from both Habsburg and Bourbon lines. The presence of the Kings attracted different personalities from the world of culture and the arts towards the municipality. Apart from the long list of architects, sculptors and painters who participated in the 16th-century decoration of the El Escorial, the Girona musician Antonio Soler (Olot, 1729) died in San Lorenzo of El Escorial in 1783, where he had spent most of his career. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the town became a residential suburb of Madrid, home to relevant political and cultural figures. Among these noteworthy figures are Serafín Alvarez and Joaquin Álvarez Quintero, comediógrafos who temporarily lived in the municipality. Among children born in San Lorenzo de El Escorial in the 20th century, the poet Luis Felipe Vivanco (1907–1975), the architect Juan Herreros (1958) and the botanist Luis Ceballos y Fernández de Córdoba (1896–1967) are worthy of note. Image:Francisco Goya - Portrait of Ferdinand VII of Spain in his robes of state (1815) - Prado.jpg|Portrait of Ferdinand VII of Spain in coronation robes Francisco Goya ==Festivals and traditions==

The people of San Lorenzo hold their feasts on August 10, the day of the feast of Saint Lawrence, the saint to which Philip II of Spain dedicated the El Escorial to and that, by extension, the municipality takes its name. This building was built to commemorate the victory of the Battle of St. Quentin, which took place on August 10, 1557. The pilgrimage of Our Lady, Virgin of Grace is without a doubt the most important tradition of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. It occurs at the beginning of September among the religious masses in Spain. Since 1948 it has been declared tourist attractions by the community of Madrid. Holy Week in San Lorenzo stands out as one of the great visual richnesses of the Guadarrameña region. At Christmastime, large crowds take to the streets to commemorate the Bethlehem nativity scene where Christ was born. ==Education==

There are 5 crèches (2 public and 3 private), 2 public primary schools, 1 Institute of secondary education and 3 private schools (with and without concert) in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, as well as 1 overseas centre and 1 university centre attached to the Complutense University (University Maria Cristina). ==Notable people==

• Felipe Diricksen (1590–1679), Baroque painter • Ferdinand VII of Spain (1784–1833), King of Spain • Luis Ceballos y Fernández de Córdoba (1896–1967), forester, former member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences and the Royal Spanish Academy • Juan Herreros (born 1956), architect • Tristan Egolf (1971–2005), American novelist and political activist • Carlos Verona (born 1992), cyclist • Munir El Haddadi (born 1995), Spanish-Moroccan footballer ==See also==