The Manzanares Linear Park is a natural space structured by the Manzanares River from its junction with the M-30 to its mouth in the Jarama River. Although a small portion of the northern section (Ricardo Bofill Park) has been urbanized, it is now an archaeological and natural repository belonging to the Community of Madrid.
The Linear Park consists of three large sections. Section 1 is urbanized and maintained by the Madrid City Council. It includes a large urban park as well as several leisure and sports facilities, including "La Caja Mágica." This section runs from the M-30 South Junction to the M-40 Supersouth Junction, and is divided between the districts of Usera and Puente de Vallecas.
After this, Section 2 begins, undeveloped and of great historical, ecological, and cultural value. It begins next to the Supersouth Junction, just where Section 1 ends, and extends to the border of the municipality of Madrid, divided between the districts of Villaverde and Villa de Vallecas. It covers an area of approximately 250 hectares, partly occupied by orchards and farmland.
Section 2 connects to the south with the Southeast Regional Park, on the very edge of Perales del Río, extending to the mouth of the Manzanares River into the Jarama River. This is Section 3 of the Regional Park. The Manzanares River environmental area thus continues, constantly and indivisible, outside the municipality of Madrid, becoming dependent on the government of the Community of Madrid. The landscape of this section of the Linear Park is nothing more than an extension of Section 2, of the river itself, its ecosystem, and its history. Although it is an extension, one can see the limited investment made in this section compared to the previous ones, making traffic almost impossible.
The term "Linear Park" is not officially used and is the informal designation for the three spaces described in the previous lines: Section 1, Section 2, and the Regional Park Section. It houses historical and geopaleontological remains, the latter within the Manzanares Terraces.
Right on the edge of the Manzanares Linear Park is Cerro de la Gavia, owned by Adif, which enjoys archaeological protection, as the remains of one of the most important Carpetani settlements in the Community of Madrid, the Settlement of La Gavia, are preserved there.
The Carpetani settled in the park between the 3rd century BC and the 3rd century AD. So many years of settlement meant that the remains we can find today are abundant, with 70% of the settlement structure still preserved.
Several Roman sites have been discovered in the park. The most important in Villaverde was located at a place known as the Arenero del Ventorro del Tío Blas. José Pérez de Barradas was in charge of the investigation of this site, known as the Roman Villa of Villaverde.
Remains of walls and pavements have been found here, as well as some mosaic fragments, along with various bronze objects, coins, ceramics, and metals. One of the most notable discoveries was the head of an alabaster statue, the head of Silenus.
Another important site was found in the Arenero de Martín, located near the Manzanares River. Six graves, possibly Roman, were discovered there. The best-preserved contained a juvenile skeleton believed to be that of a woman in a supine position.
The objects found, as well as part of the mosaic, were moved during the excavations, so no trace of the Roman villa of Villaverde can be found in its original location today.
In the park, we can find remains from the Bourbon era, who intended to make the Manzanares River navigable. To this end, a canal was built parallel to the river, starting from the Toledo Bridge, which drew its waters from the river and, through locks, allowed small barges to navigate to the town of Rivas. This canal is the Royal Manzanares Canal.
Other vestiges still preserved from that period are the House of the Fourth Lock and the Cardboard Mill. The former, which still stands today, was the workers' building for the fourth lock of the Royal Manzanares Canal. Its much more recent past is that it served as the barracks for the troops of the Commander of the People's Army of the Spanish Republic, Enrique Líster.