If there is something that has always accompanied the Manzanares has been the sambenito that is a “river apprentice”. A fame that has served to consider it a minor river, preventing us from valuing the places to which it has given rise along its route through the Community of Madrid, such as the Marmot Bridge: a work of engineering of the eighteenth century that is hardly known by the Madrilenians and Madrilenians themselves.
The bridge, built in 1756, was commissioned by Ferdinand VI and was intended to “give continuity to the perimeter roads of the wall of El Pardo and facilitate the transit of guards” to prevent the entry of poachers, according to the Regional Transport Consortium of Madrid (CRTM).
In spite of the fact that the Puente de la Marmota is popular among those who practice mountain biking -because of the routes that pass through there-, for the general public it is a landscape of the mountain range as unknown as it is surprising, due in part also to its location in a more hidden area of the river.
The enclave is ideal for enjoying the views of one of the best Mediterranean forests from its 11 meters high, and well worth a stop along the way to take a snapshot as a souvenir.
What is the name of the Marmot Bridge?
The origin of the nomenclature of the bridge, it seems, has nothing to do with the animal but with a phonetic degeneration. It is thought that it comes from a nearby hill, the “Alto de la Marmota”, already designated in medieval times as “Cabeza del Mamotar” because of its shape similar to that of a breast.
The Green Routes of the Regional Consortium of Transports
The bridge is part of one of the so-called Green Routes of the CRTM, specifically the one that covers the Colmenar-Tres Cantos route for about 20 kilometers: it is an itinerary that follows the course of the Manzanares River from its source at the Bola del Mundo to its mouth in Rivas Vaciamadrid.
This is just one of the more than 50 Green Routes of the CRTM that exist in total, with different levels of difficulty. You can consult them all on their website.