Móstoles

Móstoles
Municipality
Church of the Assumption, Móstoles' oldest building
Flag Coat of arms
Móstoles Location in Spain
Coordinates:
Country	Spain
Region	Community of Madrid
Comarca	Madrid metropolitan area
Government
• Mayor	David Lucas (PSOE)
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(s)	Mostoleños, Mostolenses, Mostoleros
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	28930 - 28939
Website	www.mostoles.es

Móstoles (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmos.to.les]) 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.

Area and population

Mostoles has about 206.015 residents, Mostoles is located in the Community of Madrid, near the city of Madrid. After Madrid itself, it is the municipality with most residents of the Community of Madrid.

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. This followed the Dos de Mayo Uprising the same day in Madrid which started the Peninsular War. The Monument to the Mayor (1908), located in Pradillo Square, was erected to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the historic events.

A resident of Móstoles, Manuela Malasaña, became a popular heroine of the uprising; a subway station and secondary school in Móstoles and a neighbourhood in Madrid are named after her.

Main sights

Historic buildings

Hermitage

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

Museums and galleries

Móstoles is the home of the Community of Madrid's modern art gallery opened in 2008.

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, Spanish professional goalkeeper, plays for F.C. Porto and formerly Real Madrid
• Ruben de la Red, footballer
• Rafael Martínez, gymnast
• es, actor and TV presenter
• Raul Arevalo, actor

External links

• Town Hall