www: Chinchon city concil site
50 km from Madrid, Chinchón can
be reached by buses "La Veloz"
that depart from the Estación
de Autobuses de Conde de Casal. To
get there by car one should take the N-IV
(road to Andalusia).
Of special interest for visitors to Chinchón
is the Plaza Mayor, a picturesque
square dominated by the local church. Also
worth visiting is the old castle at the
top of the town which now serves as a distillery
producing Chinchón's famous anís (aniseed), as well as gin and other spirits.
Popular bullfights are held in Chinchón
during the summer months.
Historical note: in the 17th century the
countess of Chinchón, wife to the
viceroy of Peru, fell ill with malaria.
Natives cured her using an extract derived
from the bark of a local tree. Sold on the
benefits of the medicine she brought the
tree back to Europe, where Linnaeus, the
famous Swedish botanist, named it chinchona
in her honour. We now know this medicine
as quinine.
Festivals:
- Virgen de Gracia y San Roque, August 15-21.
- Santiago, July 25th
photo: Francisco de Goya.
La Ascensión de la Virgen
