Autovia A-6). Subsequently it has been a center of research and development for the railways, now RENFE and that was the main source of local employment. Civil War During the Spanish Civil War the area was held Mainly by republicans, and saw a number of large battles, and remnants of bunkers from that era can still be seen today in the Navalcarbón meadows. In the winter of 1936, pro-Franco troops advanced on western Madrid from the bases of Brunete, Villaviciosa de Odón and Campamento. In fog and very low temperatures, Republican and Nationalist troops, along with air support, fought one of the worst battles of the civil war in Madrid. The inhabitants of Las Rozas took refuge in other places around the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains, such as the caves of Hoyo de Manzanares. The Church of San Miguel and almost all the houses in Las Rozas were completely destroyed in the battle. At the end of the war, the government created the Department of Devastated Areas in order to assist with the reconstruction of towns destroyed by the war, among which was Las Rozas, where about six rows of six or seven small houses were cheaply built near the church. One or two of these remain as of 2010, and efforts are in hand to preserve them for posterity. Post Democracy Since 'Democracy' (c.1975) and the advent of cheap travel the settlement has expanded from a pastoral village of some 6000 souls to a dormitory town of Madrid with a population of almost 100,000. As of 2010 there are still two flocks of sheep which graze on the riverbank of the Rio Guardarrama nature-park. Wild pigs, displaced from their natural habitat by building, are sometimes found in the streets of El Cantizal and El Molino de la Hoz in the north of the township. The Compositores de España International Piano Competition has been held here since about 2000. Recent concerns about the ecology, air pollution in Madrid and 'peak oil' have prompted schemes to use railway stations more effectively and reduce the reliance of children on 'mum's taxi service' by promoting pedilecs and electric vehicles. References Archaeological sites in Spain Las Rozas History of the Community of Madrid Las Rozas de Madrid