In the heart of the Comunidad de Madrid you can find this town consisting of two cores: the modern Patones de Abajo and Patones de Arriba. The second one is more attractive for tourists and is one of the most visited destinations in the region. The typical black-slate architecture and the cobble streets following the mountain slope give it a dream-like quality. The fame of the town comes from the legend of the ‘King of Patones’, an independent kingdom in the 18th century and a walk through this town is an unforgettable experience.
Old Hermitage - Tourist Office
This spot, created in 1653 as a hermitage and turned into a church a century later, is a great place to start the visit. Even though it has been completely remodeled, it still conserves a chapel and you can get information from its Visitors’ center.
Ecomuseum of Slate
This ecomuseum is an outdoor venue of marked trails that make for a fun and interesting way to go around Patones and discover the town’s black architecture. One of the two trails offers to travel 200 years back in time through “Ages of Architecture” and the other is called “Architecture of Food” and takes us on a journey to discover places like wine cellars, stoves, etc.
A walk around Patones de Arriba will not only show us the typical houses, but also the threshing grounds, barns, washing places and traditional watering places.
“Geologist and Archaeologist for a Day”
This is how we can feel in Patones thanks to its geological and archaeological heritage. The best way to know more is to visit the Geological Museum-Hall to enjoy their local rock collection, fossils reproductions and caves...
Another must-see? A few kilometers from town you can find the archaeological site Dehesa de la Oliva, a perfect place to contemplate the remains of a Carpetan-Roman town and imagine what their day-to-day life was like. They also organize 30-minute dramatizations of the lives of historic figures. This is also where you can find the remains of the Romanesque-mudéjar hermitage Virgen de la Oliva.
Canal de Cabarrús and Pontón de la Oliva dam
There are also interesting sites concerning the industrial heritage of Patones: a 13-km long canal constructed from 16th to 18th century. 18th-century Patones is marked by the construction of the hydraulic infrastructures like the Pontón de la Oliva dam and the El Atazar dam that retains the waters of Lozoya.