The government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso is full of praise for the Manzanares El Real castle. Its website describes it as one of the architectural “jewels” of the Kingdom of Castile and as the “most emblematic and best preserved” castle of the region. Its value for the Community of Madrid is undeniable: There, for example, its autonomy statute was signed in 1983. On January 5, 2025, a new chapter will open in the history of medieval fortification.
That day, on the eve of the arrival of the Three Wise Menthe transfer to the Regional Executive will expire. Its owner, the Duchy of Infantadowill take over the construction management.
Was Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, first Duke of the Infantadowho began construction of the famous castle in the 15th century. The fortress is a reflection of a society halfway between medieval chivalry and the humanist Renaissance. We are talking about 3,026 square meters of mass with several floors, corridor, parade ground, 17th century Flemish tapestries and armorFrom its privileged location in the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, the bastion has served as a set and film backdrop.
He January 5, 1965 The deed of transfer of ownership was signed between the Ducal House of the Infantado and the Provincial Council of Madrid at the time, which facilitated the reconstruction of the building. The agreement was signed for 50 years and with an extension of 10 additional years.according to Europa Press. The Autonomous Executive assumed the pact when the Community of Madrid was created and was responsible for manage, maintain and monitor it with public money.
The contract expires in January and the family, whose visible face is the Duchess Almudena de Arteaga, will not extend it. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has no choice but to return it.
Mendoza Castle in Manzanares El Real.
Community of Madrid
The Community has been working for several months with the owners to find formulas that “allow the process of restitution” of the property to be coordinated and “guarantee the maintenance of cultural activity in the castle”explain sources from the regional department headed by Mariano de Paco. There is no dispute. And so far, there are few public answers about what the future holds for the fortress..
The City Council tells this newspaper that the Arteagas informed the Community that They will be “in charge of direct exploitation” through a company and under the “same conditions” in which it was publicly managed. Madrid Total He contacted the family through a relative on Friday afternoon and is awaiting their response.
The Legacy of the Infantado
The history of the Duchy of Infantado dates back to the time of the Catholic Monarchs. They were the ones who created the granting of the title to Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, II Marquis of Santillana and Count of Real del Manzanares. Centuries passed until the title of Duke arrived Andrés de Arteaga Lazcano y Silvawho bought “a large part” of the emblematic buildings of the Mendozas in Guadalajara, Manzanares el Real and Viñuelas, according to the Portal of Spanish Archives (PARES) of the Ministry of Culture.
Almudena is the current Duchess of Arteaga and is a well-known writer of historical novels. These are works such as “The Princess of Eboli”, “La Beltraneja”, “Catalina de Aragón” or “For the Love of the Emperor”. The aristocrat was born in Madrid in 1967. The biography published on the website of the publishing house La Esfera de los Libros specifies that the duchess is also an academic at the Royal Hispano-American Academy and has a degree in genealogy, heraldry and nobility.
Goodbye to Infantado Park
The mayor of Manzares, José Luis Labrador, knows this story well, since the City Council has had different conversations with the family because they own several real estate properties in the town. Among them, some buildings, houses and agricultural land. But also an old inn and a famous park, the Parque del Ducado del Infantado, which faced the Consistory and the Ducal House in the courts. Almudena’s efforts to reclaim these lands have led to protests in the neighborhoods.
The Ducal House ceded the space to the municipality half a century ago and the contract expired years ago. That is why, The property considers that the Town Hall occupies the space. A court resolution ruled in favor of the duchy and forced the city council to abandon the property. Although the decision is not final (it is under appeal to the Provincial Court), The municipality began dismantling the swings and benches on Tuesday..
Labrador, which is in a minority government, already has a site for a new park: a piece of land that he bought a few years ago from a sister of the Duchess.
Of course, what will be impossible to recover, if the castle returns to noble and private hands, is the soul of the Community of Madrid, which has always used this fortress as an emblem of its regional soul.
