The best road cycling routes around Torrijos

Polán Castle is a medieval fortification located in the municipality of Polán, about 15 km southwest of Toledo, in the Montes de Toledo region. It is situated within the town itself, nestled among houses and courtyards, giving it a unique character. Built between the 11th and 12th centuries, it was likely used as a defensive tower after the Reconquista of Toledo (1085).

The place name Pelahustán seems to derive from the activity related to looms and the sale of linen that the population had in the past. In documents from the 18th century, it appears as Pelafustan. According to the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy, the concept of pelafustán is equated with that of pelagatos, which in turn means “insignificant or mediocre person, without social or economic position.” The town also had several water mills worked by Salamancan teleworkers. Pelahustán is located at an altitude of 673 meters above sea level and borders the terms of Higuera de las Dueñas in the province of Ávila, Nombela, Nuño Gómez, Garciotum and El Real de San Vicente in the province of Toledo, and Ceniientos in the Community of Madrid 😊

Cadalso de los Vidrios acquired fame in the 16th and 17th centuries thanks to the fact that its glass factory supplied the royal pharmacy of the monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. In the municipality there are important historical buildings, such as the Renaissance palace of Villena. This town is located at the top of the hillside, which allows you to contemplate the Alberche valley majestically.

With three inhabitants according to the 2021 census, it is the municipality with the smallest number of inhabitants in Spain.

Beyond the ruins of the castle that gives the town its name, don't leave without visiting the church decorated with Talavera ceramics and the curious "boars", large zoomorphic sculptures made of granite stone from the area.

Pelahustán is one of those places whose name has several possible origins, and each of the theories tells a part of the history of the town. The most accepted relates the name to the fustan fabric that was produced here, either with linen or with a mixture of silk and cotton. This cloth was coarse and rough and was used by hunters as protection, and the expression "pelar el fustán" existed as a synonym for hunting, but there was also a theory that the town was called Pelafustán with a derogatory character, like where the pelafustanes live ( rascals). On the other hand, a simpler theory is that there was a settler of these lands called Pela Hustán. Nothing to see.

Polán has a couple of treasures that you may not have expected to find. The most outstanding is undoubtedly the castle, which despite its dilapidated state is still an imposing structure that gives you an idea of the large dimensions it once had. But apart from the castle there are a few manor houses with magnificent portals that are worth looking for.

Although the town's biggest attractions, like its castle and Roman bridge, are all on the outskirts and not reachable by road bike, the town itself has a pretty church dedicated to Saint Andrew and a couple of good bars. for a stop