Móstoles

Móstoles
—  Municipality  —
Church of the Assumption, Móstoles' oldest building
Flag Coat of arms
Móstoles Location in Spain
Coordinates: 40°19′22″N 3°51′54″W
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Community of Madrid
Province	Madrid
Comarca	Madrid metropolitan area
Judicial district	Móstoles
Government
• Mayor	Esteban Parro del Prado (PP)
Area
• Total	45.36 km2 (17.51 sq mi)
Elevation	620 m (2,030 ft)
Population (2009)
• Total	206,478
• Density	4,600/km2 (12,000/sq mi)
Demonym	Mostoleños, Mostolenses, Mostoleros
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	2893
Website	www.mostoles.es

Móstoles is the second-largest city in population belonging to the autonomous community of Madrid. It is located 18 kilometres southwest from central Madrid. Móstoles was for a long time only a small village, but expanded rapidly in the twentieth century.

To some extent it is a dormitory suburb of Madrid, but it is also home to several polígonos (industrial estates). The city also hosts the main campus of the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos.

Politically, the city has moved from the left to the right in recent years. Since 2003, the mayor of Móstoles has been Esteban Parro del Prado (Partido Popular).

History

Móstoles became famous on May 2, 1808, when, although it was only a small village, one of its two mayors, Andrés Torrejón, declared war on France, following the Dos de Mayo Uprising the same day in Madrid which started the Peninsular War. A resident of Móstoles, Manuela Malasaña, became a popular heroine of the uprising that day; a subway station and secondary school in Móstoles and a neighbourhood in Madrid are named after her.

Main sights

Hermitage

Some of the most important monuments in Móstoles are; the Mudéjar-styled church of La Asunción, whose tower provides a home for storks; the Baroque hermitage of La Virgen de los Santos (17th century) and the Monument to the Mayor (1908), located in Pradillo Square.

Transportation

Móstoles is connected to other suburbs and to central Madrid by the Metrosur line (line 12, Madrid Metro), a commuter train line (line C-5 Cercanías Madrid), local and regional bus lines and several major freeways (A-5 (Madrid-Badajoz-Lisbon), M-50) and toll highways (R-5).

Notable people

• Iker Casillas, Football player
• Ruben de la Red, Football player
• Rafael Martínez, gymnast
• Christian Gàlvez Montero, actor and TV presenter
• Raul Arevalo, actor

External links

Media related to Móstoles at Wikimedia Commons

• Town Hall
• Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, University Rey Juan Carlos.
• Penya Barcelonista de Móstoles