Spotlight: Madrid, Spain

Spotlight: Madrid is not only the capital of Spain, it is also its most populous city, with about 3.4 million inhabitants, and 7 million in its metropolitan area. The city lies on the River Manzanares, in the approximate geographical center of the country. Although Madrid's history dates back to prehistoric times, it wasn't a city of any great significance until the Middle Ages. The Muslims built a fortress there in the 9th century to protect the borders of Al-Andalus against incursion by Castilla-Leon. In 1083, it was seized by Alfonso VI as a base to launch a Christian offensive against Muslim-held Toledo. It wasn't until 1202 that Madrid received its first charter to regulate the municipal council. During the early 1500's, Madrid experienced a population boom. However, the city was still little more than a town when Felipe II decided to establish his court in the old Alcazar in June 1561. The move accelerated the city's exponential growth rate as the population soared from 18,000 in 1561 to 80,000 by century's end. Save for a short interval from 1601-1606, when the court was temporarily moved to Valladolid, Madrid has served as Spain's capital city ever since. Thus Madrid was built to be the capital of what was then the largest empire in the world.

 Madrid as seen from the Palace

     Since then, Madrid has suffered its share of invasions or revolts, including: the War of Spanish Succession, the Esquilache Riots, the Dos de Mayo Uprising during the French occupation during the Peninsular War, the Glorious Revolution of 1868, the 1934 Insurrection, and of course the Spanish Civil War. Ironically, Spain's Civil War most likely kept Spain neutral during World War II, allowing the city to rebuild for what has been more than eight decades of relative peace. Following the fall of the Franco regime, the new Constitution of 1978 confirmed Madrid as the capital of Spain. The city is dotted with many wonderful plazas and monuments including: the Plaza Mayor, the Victory Arch, Cybele Fountain, the Neptune Fountain, the Puerta de Alcala, the Plaza de España, the Plaza de Colon (Columbus), Plaza de Oriente, the Temple of Debod, and the Oso y Madrono in the famous Puerta del Sol. Madrid is also home to two world famous football clubs - Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.

El Oso y Madrono at Puerta del Sol

Real Madrid Stadium

     Madrid is also famous for its world-class museums, including: the Prado Museum, Reina Sofia Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, the National Archeological Museum, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, CaixaForum Madrid, and the Museum of the Americas. The city is also dotted with many fabulous parks. In fact, with more than 8% of the city dedicated to green areas, all of Madrid's citizens have a sizeable park within a 15-minute walk of their home. Some of the most famous include: El Buen Retiro, the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid, Parque del Oeste, El Capricho, the Campo del Moro, the Sabatini Gardens, Casa del Campo, and the Monte de El Pardo. Of the many beautiful buildings around the city, my favorite is Cybele Palace. Once the country's national post office, it now serves as the Madrid City Hall and Public Cultural Center.

Cybele Palace

Activities:

Royal Palace of Madrid: Upon his death in 1700, Carlos II, the last Spanish monarch of the Habsburg Dynasty, named his grand-nephew, Felipe V of Anjou (a grandson of King Louis the XIV of France), as his successor. However, many Europeans felt that the throne should have been granted to Archduke Charles of Austria - particularly because they felt that the balance of power in Europe was at stake. The controversy bloomed into the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714). After Charles was named the Holy Roman Emperor in 1711, the idea of him also inheriting the throne of Spain became less appealing to some of his allies - particularly England, which withdrew its support. The Treaty of Baden in 1714 brought the conflict to a close, and Felipe V became the first Spanish king of the Bourbon Dynasty. When the Alcazar of Madrid burned down in 1734, Felipe V determined to build a bigger, grander palace on the site, more reminiscent of the Palace of Versailles in his native France. The resulting Royal Palace of Madrid was built between 1738-1755. With 135,000 square meters of floor space, and 3,418 rooms, the Royal Palace of Madrid is the largest royal palace in Europe. Although the palace is the "official residence" of the Spanish Royal Family, the family currently resides at the Palace of Zarzuela when in Madrid, using the Royal Palace to host functions of state. The palace is open to visitors except when it is closed in order to host an official state function. Because of its size, the tour route changes every few months, so you are unlikely to visit the same rooms on a return visit.

The Royal Palace of Madrid

Inside the Royal Palace

Don't forget to look up!

The Changing of the Guard

- Location: Centro, 28071 Madrid

- Hours: 10 am to 6 pm (Mon. to Sat.); 10 am to 3 pm (Sundays)

- Cost: General admission: 14 euros; Reduced admission: 7 euros (children 5-16, senior citizens and students up to age 25 with a valid student ID card)

- Rating: 5 of 5 stars

El Parque de Buen Retiro: The Retiro was set aside as a Royal Retreat in 1505. In fact, it became the center of Habsburg court life during the Spanish Golden Age (1492-1659). Following the "Glorious Revolution" of 1868, the unpopular Queen Isabel II was deposed and a new government was set up. Although the new government only lasted six years, one of the lasting effects of the Revolution was making the queen's gardens into a public park - El Retiro. Located at the edge of the city centre, the park covers 1.4 square kilometers (350 acres), including a wide variety of gardens, monuments, galleries and an artificial lake. One of the most popular activities at the park is taking a rowboat out on the lake by the monument to Alfonso XII. There are also many tours available, including by Segway and horse-drawn carriage. In 2021, the Retiro and nearby Paseo del Prado were named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 

Rose Garden in El Retiro

El Palacio de Cristal

Rowboats on the Estanque

- Location: Retiro, 28009 Madrid

- Hours: 6 am to midnight (April - September); 6 am to 10 pm (October - March)

- Cost: free; Rowboats: 6 euros (weekdays), 8 euros (weekends and holidays)

- Rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Museo del Prado: The Prado is the crowning jewel of Spain's Golden Triangle of Art, together with the Reina Sofia Museum and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. The Prado displays collections of classical European art from the 12th Century to the early 20th Century. The museum was founded in 1819 and contains the single best collection of Spanish art in the world. Among the museum's extensive collection of paintings and sculptures are many fabulous works of art by renowned artists such as Francisco Goya, El Greco, Hieronymus Bosch, Peter Paul Rubens, Titian, and Diego Velazquez, as well as a large collection of Italian masters, among others. The museum's collection includes 8,200 drawings, 7,600 paintings, 4,800 prints, 1,000 sculptures and various other works as well as historical documents. Of those works, about 1,300 are on display at any given time, while others are on loan to other museums or in storage. The prize of the collection is probably Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez, but there are plenty of other masterpieces to choose from.

El Prado

- Location: Retiro, 28014 Madrid

- Hours: 10 am to 8 pm (Mon. to Sat.); 10 am to 7 pm (Sundays)

- Cost: General Admission: 15 euros; reduced admission: 7.50 euros; children 0-18: free 

- Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Things You Should Know: 

- The best way to travel around Madrid is by subway. The subway system is fairly easy to navigate once you learn how to read it (no need to know Spanish), and will take you practically anywhere you want to go. Travelling around the city in car would be a nightmare since there aren't any parking lots above ground. If you have a rental car, it is better to leave it parked in the hotel parking lot. Just make sure that you know exactly where you are supposed to park it because you will get heavily fined. I had to pay a 90 euro fine because I was one space off where I was supposed to be.

-Every Sunday from late May through early October, the Retiro hosts a free midday concert by the Symphonic Band of Madrid at the bandstand located near Calle de Alcala. Sunday is usually the most crowded day throughout the year, with a multitude of street performers practicing their craft.

- If you shop around, there are special offers available that allow you to visit 2 or more venues at reduced rates.

Nearby: Segovia - My favorite Spanish city (91.5 km NW of Madrid); Toledo - the sword-making capital of Spain (72.5 km south of Madrid); Castillo de Manzanares - a beautiful medieval castle (52.7 km north of Madrid), Alcala de Henares - birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes (40.4 km east of Madrid), Aranjuez - site of another beautiful Royal Palace (53.4 km south of Madrid)

Miguel de Cervantes' Home in Alcala de Henares