Buitrago del Lozoya, heritage of Al-Andalus, voted most beautiful city in Madrid

Readers of the Spanish digital media The Objective, one of the new major players in the Iberian online press founded in 2020, named Buitrago del Lozoya as the most beautiful town in the Madrid region. An hour’s drive from the capital, this fortified city of Muslim origin, which has around 2,000 inhabitants, stands out for its exceptional preservation and its thousand-year-old history.

Its name, derived from the Arabic “Buit-al-Rayah” (the house of the wind), testifies to its Andalusian roots. The 11th century walls, unique in the entire Madrid region, embrace a historic center where each stone tells the story of Al-Andalus. The Lozoya River, which surrounds the city on three sides, naturally completes this defensive system, testifying to the hydraulic genius of the Muslim builders of the time.

The local architecture reveals a remarkable Spanish-Muslim fusion, visible notably in the Mudejar church of Santa María del Castillo and the castle with its majestic tower. The construction techniques used for the fortifications, particularly adapted to the topography and hydraulic resources, demonstrate the sophistication of medieval Islamic architecture.

This small town, which has preserved its authenticity over the centuries, perfectly illustrates the richness of Muslim heritage in Spain. This distinction, resulting from a popular consultation carried out by this leading digital media, recognizes one of the most beautiful examples of the architectural heritage of Al-Andalus on the outskirts of Madrid.