There are places in Madrid whose history doesn’t begin with a street, or a neighborhood, or even a square. It begins much earlier, in the landscape itself. El Pardo is one such place. Before its integration into the capital, it was a mountain, a pasture, a royal hunting ground, a royal site, and a town with its own distinct identity. Therefore, the 75th anniversary of its annexation to Madrid not only invites us to remember an administrative date but also opens the door to recount an origin that continues to fascinate those who enjoy the city’s history.
El Pardo Before Madrid: Medieval Origins and the Birth of a Town
The history of El Pardo dates back to the Middle Ages. The territory became part of the ‘Tierra y Villa de Madrid’ after the medieval repopulation, and as early as 1152, Alfonso VII granted the town the right to use the wood and pastures of the area, as documented in historical records preserved by the Madrid City Council.
Simultaneously, the Crown progressively reserved the territory because of its extraordinary hunting value. This dual character, communal and royal, helps us understand the origin of El Pardo. It did not emerge as a typical agricultural town but as a territory closely linked to the forest, resource control, and royal hunting. Alfonso XI’s ‘Libro de la Montería,’ written in the 14th century, already describes the Monte de El Pardo as a privileged space for big and small game hunting. Long before the current El Pardo existed, it already held a significant place in the geography of Castilian power.
A Mountain Reserved for the Kings’ Hunt
The Monte de El Pardo quickly became one of the main hunting grounds for the Castilian monarchy. For centuries, two uses of the territory coexisted: communal use by the residents of Madrid and the hunting reserve for the kings.
At the beginning of the 15th century, royal privileges were confirmed, consolidating the mountain as a reserved space for the Crown’s hunting activities. To protect the wildlife, strict rules were enacted, limiting hunting for the rest of the population, including the prohibition of setting traps or snares in the forest to catch deer, wild boars, or bears.
During the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, these measures were further reinforced. A pragmatic sanction of 1470 recalled that “the hunting of our Monte de El Pardo is forbidden, prohibited, and enclosed,” consolidating its character as a royal hunting ground.
The Dehesa Vieja: The First Core of the Royal Site
One of the key moments in El Pardo’s history occurred in the 15th century. King Henry IV acquired one of the pastures located next to the Manzanares River and ordered the construction of a small house-fortress there to stay during hunting days.
This enclave was named Dehesa Vieja or Monte Hueco and became the first core of the future Royal Site of El Pardo. The space was located in a slightly elevated area near the river and delimited by a ridge known as “Atalaya,” from which a wide expanse of the mountain could be controlled. From that moment, the territory began to organize progressively around this royal nucleus.
From Royal Hunting Ground to the Palace of El Pardo
With the arrival of the Hapsburgs, El Pardo ceased to be merely a hunting ground and became a key space for the monarchy. Emperor Charles I ordered the demolition of the old medieval fortress and the beginning of the construction of the Palace of El Pardo, which would become the center of the royal site. The project was entrusted to the architect Luis de Vega, who designed a small square-plan alcázar following the Castilian Plateresque style.
When Philip II established the capital in Madrid in the 16th century, the mountain was reorganized into different “quarters,” and specific ordinances were approved to regulate its management as royal heritage. In addition, the monarch completed the palace and introduced characteristic architectural elements such as slate roofs with spires in the Flemish style.
The building suffered a major fire in 1604, after which it was rebuilt during the reign of Philip III by the architect Francisco de Mora.
The Consolidation of the Royal Site in the 17th and 18th Centuries
During the 18th century, the Bourbons definitively consolidated El Pardo as a residence linked to the Court. Philip V used it as a winter residence, and Charles III promoted a major expansion commissioned by Francesco Sabatini, which doubled the building and gave the palace much of its current configuration.
Ferdinand VI ordered the mountain to be enclosed with the so-called ‘Cerca de El Pardo,’ a nearly one-hundred-kilometer wall that delimited the space reserved for the Crown.
This entire process explains why El Pardo had a different evolution from other towns in the Madrid area. While many localities grew around agriculture or trade, El Pardo did so as a space linked to the monarchy. Over time, a small population settled around the palace and the mountain, eventually giving rise to the town.
This royal past profoundly marked the identity of the place because it was not just any nucleus in the Madrid area. It was a royal site, a space closely linked to the presence of the monarchy. The town grew around the palace and the mountain, with residents linked to the service of the Court, the surveillance of hunting grounds, or trades related to royal activity. That is why it is one of the places in Madrid where monumental heritage, landscape, and history are still so clearly intertwined.
Life in El Pardo Before Annexation
The history of El Pardo is not just about kings and palaces; it is also about its people. For centuries, the local population was closely linked to the functioning of the royal site. Guards, employees, artisans, service personnel, and families settled around the palace formed the human core of the town. Its evolution was different from other nearby towns in Madrid, which relied more on agriculture or trade routes.
This relatively contained development contributed to El Pardo retaining its own identity for a longer time. Historical cartography clearly reflects this singularity. In the 1900 map of Madrid and neighboring towns, prepared by Facundo Cañada López, the “Royal Site of El Pardo” appears clearly separated from the municipality of Madrid.
The Dates of El Pardo’s Annexation to Madrid
The annexation of El Pardo was part of Madrid’s great administrative expansion process after the Civil War. The decree approving the total annexation of the municipality of El Pardo to that of Madrid is dated August 10, 1950, and was published in the Official State Gazette on December 13 of the same year.
However, the date that has remained as a symbolic reference for the residents is March 27, 1951, when the last session of the El Pardo City Council was held, and its integration into Madrid was formalized. This anniversary is what the district commemorates today in the official program of activities organized by the Municipal Board of Fuencarral-El Pardo.
Therefore, when speaking of the anniversary, it is important to distinguish between the state decree and the symbolic and municipal consummation of the process. This difference in dates helps to understand why local memory places the annexation in March 1951, while official documentation refers to the decree approved in 1950.
Other Annexations That Transformed Madrid
El Pardo was not an isolated case. In the mid-20th century, Madrid incorporated several neighboring municipalities to manage urban growth and reorganize the territory. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics, between the 1940 and 1951 censuses, the municipality of Madrid incorporated Aravaca, Barajas, Canillas, Canillejas, Carabanchel Alto, Carabanchel Bajo, Chamartín de la Rosa, Fuencarral, Hortaleza, El Pardo, Vallecas, and Vicálvaro. Between 1950 and 1960, Villaverde was also added.
In the case of Fuencarral, its annexation was formalized on October 20, 1951. Subsequently, the administrative reorganization of Madrid integrated both former municipalities into the same district. Municipal documentation recalls that Fuencarral and El Pardo were administratively united in 1971, and the definitive name of Fuencarral-El Pardo was consolidated in 1987.
This entire process completely changed the scale of the capital. Madrid ceased to be a much more contained city to become a much larger municipality, capable of absorbing former towns with their own identity and ordering a growth that already overflowed its traditional limits.
Impact on Population and Urban Map
The annexations had a decisive impact on Madrid’s growth. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the municipality’s population increased from 1,618,435 inhabitants in 1940 to 2,259,931 in 1950, coinciding with the incorporation of several municipalities into the municipal territory. In the 1960s, with Villaverde already integrated, Madrid reached 3,146,071 inhabitants.
The change was not only demographic; it was also territorial. Madrid went from being a relatively compact city to a much larger municipality that incorporated former towns, rural areas, mountain spaces, and large areas still undeveloped. In this new map, royal sites, agricultural towns, working-class neighborhoods, and new residential developments coexisted. The district of Fuencarral-El Pardo is one of the clearest examples of this mixture. An article in the ‘Diario de Madrid’ itself summarizes it well: in the same territory, the aristocratic and monumental past of El Pardo, the historic center of the old town of Fuencarral, and modern urban expansion neighborhoods coexist.
The Current Legacy: Heritage, Nature, and Identity
Seventy-five years later, the annexation can be read in two ways. On the one hand, as an administrative operation that definitively integrated El Pardo into the Madrilenian structure. On the other hand, as a process that did not erase its personality. On the contrary, the heritage and environmental value of El Pardo remains one of Madrid’s most unique features.
The Monte de El Pardo, one of Madrid’s great green lungs, with the Sierra de Guadarrama in the background. The Royal Palace of El Pardo continues to perform institutional functions, while the Monte de El Pardo maintains exceptional ecological relevance within the metropolitan area.
This balance between historical heritage, natural landscape, and neighborhood life explains why the old town of El Pardo still has such a marked identity within the city today.
75th Anniversary Program: A Week of Celebration
To mark this significant anniversary, a week of diverse activities has been organized, inviting residents and visitors to delve into El Pardo’s rich past and vibrant present.
- Saturday, March 21: Presentation of the week and recognition plaques at Templete del parque de la Mar Océana (11:30 am), followed by a historical parade and recreation of the Annexation Act signing (12:30 pm). In the evening, a photo-poetry contest will be held at the Alfonso XII Sociocultural Center Auditorium (6:00 pm).
- Sunday, March 22: A guided walk exploring illustrious residents of El Pardo (11:00 am). The presentation of the advanced book on El Pardo’s history will take place at Templete del parque de la Mar Océana (12:30 pm), followed by a wild game stew tasting (2:00 pm). In the evening, a monolith in honor of Cecilia will be unveiled (6:00 pm), culminating in a tribute concert to Cecilia (6:30 pm) at Parque de la Mar Océana.
- Monday, March 23: A Zum-Dance exhibition at the Alfonso XII Sociocultural Center Auditorium (12:30 pm).
- Tuesday, March 24: “El Pardo in Minecraft” at the Alfonso XII Sociocultural Center Auditorium (11:30 am).
- Wednesday, March 25: A visit to the Civil Guard’s Cinological and Remount Service (11:00 am).
- Thursday, March 26: A science fair at CEIP Monte de El Pardo (3:00 pm), followed by a presentation on seventy-three years of the Agrupación Deportiva El Pardo at the Alfonso XII Sociocultural Center Auditorium (6:00 pm).
- Friday, March 27: A historical talk about the old town of El Pardo at the Alfonso XII Sociocultural Center Auditorium (6:00 pm) and a quiz “How much do you know about El Pardo?” at the El Pardo Youth Leisure and Advice Center (6:00 pm – 8:00 pm).
- Saturday, March 28: A theatrical performance of “The Love of the Dog and the Cat” by Enrique Jardiel Poncela at the Alfonso XII Sociocultural Center Auditorium (6:30 pm).
- Sunday, March 29: A guided trail “Other inhabitants of El Pardo” in Monte de El Pardo (11:00 am).
Ongoing Activities:
- Youth Football Tournament: March 27, 28, and 29 at Campo de Mingorrubio.
- Guided Visits to the El Pardo Hydrodynamic Experience Center (INTA-CEHIPAR): March 23 to 26, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.
- Exhibitions at the Alfonso XII Sociocultural Center: March 21 to 29, from 9:30 am to 8:30 pm.
Source: https://diario.madrid.es/blog/2026/03/20/75-aniversario-anexion-el-pardo-a-madrid-origen-historia-pueblo-cambio-mapa-capital/
