4. Our story starts during
the Roman Empire.
Rivas was a little village,
called Ripia Carpetana,
under the control of
another more important
one, Complutum (Now
Alcalá de Henares).
5. Later, one servant of the Spanish king Alfonso
VI, called Guillermo Rivas (the name comes from
here), established a Christian military location
during the Reconquista (from 722 to 1492). A lot of
castles, towers and fortresses were built here, but
we have not their remains today.
6. Our second name have a
long story. The name of
Vaciamadrid has a Muslim
origin, although disrupted
by years. Firstly, Manzil
Mayrit, who means “parador
de Mayrit” (Mayrit Hostel).
Secondly, Mazalmadrit, and
Haçalmadrit many years
later.
7. Being close to Madrid, this place was chosen by the
nobility to be a place for relax. The king, Felipe II,
ordered the construction of a little palace in Rivas.
8. During this age, Rivas
was composed by two
little villages, Rivas del
Jarama and
Vaciamadrid. But it was
in 1845 when they came
together to form Rivas
Vaciamadrid under the
same town hall.
9. Our latest story started
after the Spanish Civil
War. The whole village was
destroyed because of the
Battle of Jarama (6-27
February, 1937), one of the
worst battles in all the
Civil War. There, 30000
Republican and
International Brigades
soldiers and between
19000 and 40000 rebels
soldiers ought. Only ruins
of the old village have
remained
10. And upon the ruins, Rivas Vaciamadrid was rebuilt in
the 50’s. A church, a school, a town hall, the cemetery
and a court were built. And all the houses around
them were built by at least 500 neighbors, who
returned to his village.
11. Throughout Franco’s
dictatorship, and part
of the democratic
transition in the
70s, Rivas Vaciamadrid
remained a peaceful
and quiet village on
the edge of the
metropolis.
Rivas in 1970
12. But it is during the 80’s when all started to change. Rivas
began to grow economic, demographic and urbanistically
more than any other town in Europe.
Rivas in 1991 Rivas in 2006
