Valley of the Fallen

Mount Abantos (Spanish: Monte Abantos) is a mountain in the Sierra de Guadarrama range in the Sistema Central of Spain, a chain that runs from east to west. For the most part, the mountain is located in the municipality of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in the Community of Madrid, with part of its west side in the province of Ávila.

La Jarosa reservoir (also known as the Jarosa swamp) is located in the Jarosa valley and it belongs to the municipality of Guadarrama, Madrid, Spain. It is the smallest reservoir of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range. Its total capacity reaches 7’2 cubic hectometres and its total surface area is 55 hectares. La Jarosa, does not only include the main swamp but also the meadows surrounding the body of water, several recreational zones and vast pine forest areas. The Nuestra Señora de la Jarosa hermitage and the Altar Mayor hermitage are also found in this vast terrain. La Jarosa would be included in the proposed Guadarrama National Park project, once it is finally realized. The lower zone, which contains the marsh, would belong to the "pre-park" area for consideration for the Regional Park but the highest part of La Jarosa, adjacent to the Puerto de Guadarrama, would be included in the National Park itself.

The Academia de Suboficiales de la Guardia Civil (ASGC, English: Academy of NCOs of the Civil Guard) is a training center belonging to the Guardia Civil. It is located in San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Madrid), where training is given in security, technical and military subjects for enlisted personnel joining the non-commissioned officers of the Civil Guard. The ASGC was opened in 2018. The students of the ASGC are granted, on an eventual basis, and for the sole academic, internship and remuneration purposes, the rank of Sergeant. The standard course for promotion to Sergeant is 9 months, and the average experience of embtrants to the course is 8 years. Since its opening there has been a reduction in applicants to the academy, with over 1,000 fewer applicants in 2019 than when the academy opened.

San Lorenzo de El Escorial, also known as El Escorial de Arriba, is a town and municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain, located to the northwest of the region in the southeastern side of the Sierra de Guadarrama, at the foot of Mount Abantos and Las Machotas, 47 kilometres (29 mi) from Madrid. It is head of the eponymous judicial party. The settlement is popularly called El Escorial de Arriba, to differentiate it from the neighbouring village of El Escorial, also known as El Escorial de Abajo. The Monastery of El Escorial is the most prominent building in the town and is one of the main Spanish Renaissance monuments. Especially remarkable is the Royal Library, inside the Monastery. The monastery and its historic surroundings were declared a World Heritage Site UNESCO on November 2, 1984, under the name of "El Escorial, monastery and site". The site also enjoys protection on Spain's heritage register; since June 21, 2006, it has been protected by the Community of Madrid as a Property of Cultural Interest. San Lorenzo de El Escorial is located on the southern slopes of the Mount Abantos (elevation 1753 m). The average altitude of the municipality is 1,032 metres (3,386 ft), and most of the urban area is above 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). The hamlet initially sprang up around Monastery of El Escorial, gradually extending up the mountain. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the town underwent a strong urban expansion, particularly towards the southeastern side of Mount Abantos.

The Church of San Bernabé (Spanish: Iglesia de San Bernabé) is a church located in El Escorial, Spain. It was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 1983.

Guadarrama is a town and municipality in the Cuenca del Guadarrama comarca, in the Community of Madrid, Spain. Its population is 13,032 (winter, according to a 2006 census); the population swells to approximately 60,000 in summer. Its name comes from Arabic Wadi-ar-ramla river (dry riverbed). Guadarrama achieved the status of "villa" under Fernando V of Castile (II of Aragon) on November 22, 1504. Fernando VI ordered the building of a road to A Coruña through the Guadarrama Pass, through which passed the Grande Armée with Napoleon searching For John Moore's Army in 1808. This town was absolutely destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, as it was for almost three years a battlefront. All one can see in this town today is new, built in the mid-20th century. It was the location for some scenes in the 1964 film The Fall of the Roman Empire. It is close to Sierra de Guadarrama, a mountain range that is visited by Madrid residents seeking cooler temperatures, especially in summer.

Santa María de la Alameda (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsanta maˈɾi.a ðe la alaˈmeða]) is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain. It is linked to the city of Madrid and the town of El Escorial by regular train services. A popular weekend and holiday destination, Santa Maria is popular with anglers, hunters, walkers and outdoors enthusiasts. Originally a group of cattle-raising hamlets, the municipality comprises different settlements: Las Herreras, El Pimpollar, La Hoya, Navalespino, La Paradilla, Robledondo, Santa María de la Alameda and Santa María Estación. In time, the nucleus of "Santa María Estación", developed around the railway station, has grown to become the most populated settlement. The capital of the municipality (the namesake "Santa María de la Alameda") is located at an elevation of 1,409 metres. The municipality covers an area of 74.41 km2, including the exclave of Dehesa de la Cepeda, a mostly pasture area geographically located between the provinces of Ávila and Segovia in the autonomous community of Castile and León.

Los Molinos is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain. There is a wine, also called Los Molinos, which originates from the same place.

Alpedrete (Spanish pronunciation: [alpeˈðɾete]) is a town and municipality in central Spain. It is located in the Sierra de Guadarrama in the autonomous community of the Community of Madrid. It had a population of 15,006 inhabitants in 2022 (INE, 2022).

Dehesa de la Cepeda is an exclave in central Spain. Belonging to the municipality of Santa María de la Alameda in the Madrid region, it is entirely bordered by territory of Castile and León, embedded in between the provinces of Ávila and Segovia.Dehesa de la Cepeda is mostly pasture land.

Los Negrales is a residential zone in the municipal area of Collado Villalba, Alpedrete, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Guadarrama and Galapagar (municipalities of the northwest of the Community of Madrid, Spain), consisting mostly of detached houses. Although it was divided in three administrative zones, Los Negrales is a contiguous residential area. This residential zone was built gradually. The oldest houses date to the first half of the 20th century, and building has continued until contemporary times. A significant part of the houses are second residences of their owners, therefore, in summer and in holidays the population doubles. Los Negrales is situated near the Sierra de Guadarrama and near the centre of Collado Villalba, which makes it a favorable place to spend the holidays. The short distance to Collado Villalba facilitates shopping and leisure. Los Negrales has considerable public facilities (parish church, public schools, a sports center, a municipal park and a pharmacy, among others). This area is divided in two parts: Los Negrales (neighbourhood) and the Colony Fuentellana (where the station of Los Negrales is located), and both zones are divided by the avenue of Reina Victoria (ancient N-SAW or road of La Coruña). Los Negrales has public bus service and has a train station of the line C-8b of Cercanías Madrid called Los Negrales, situated in the municipality of Alpedrete. The motorway Autopista del Noroeste passes north of Los Negrales, as does the highway Carretera Nacional N-VI. Another main road, M-510, runs along the western side of Los Negrales, and the junction of the three roads is located in the north-west of the area. The name of Los Negrales is based upon a nearby forest of black pine (pino negral in Spanish). Its patron saint is Our Lady of Mount Carmel, on whose feast day (16 July) a procession is held. Los Negrales is home to an Augustine college, a Theresian institution, a community of the Claretians, and a hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Collado Mediano is a town and municipality in the north-west of the Community of Madrid, Spain. It had a population of 6,610 in 2011 and is located 48 km from Madrid. The municipality covers an area of 22.57 km2. Located near the Sierra de Guadarrama, it lies at 1,032 metres above sea level.