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The nondescript facade of the Descalzas Reales convent hides a sumptuous interior

Madrid

 19th-century Teatro Español, on the Plaza Santa Ana
Our first and last stop in Spain was the nation's capital, a metropolis of over three million people.
It sits on a high plateau in the center of the country. 17th-century Ayuntamiento (town hall), on the Plaza de la Villa

Madrileño summers are hot, and winters are cold.

 Plaza Mayor Well, not quite as cold as it gets here in Russia!
Equestrian statue of Felipe III, on the Plaza Mayor Unlike most European capitals, Madrid was not the historical heart of the country. Iglesia de San Gines, near the Plaza Mayor This relatively minor village came into Castilian hands with the capture of Toledo in the 11th century. Casa de la Panadería, a former bakery on the Plaza Mayor
During the middle ages, the Castilian court followed its conquests from town to town. Laura on the Plaza Mayor View of the Colegiata de San Isidro from the Plaza Mayor Strolling on the Plaza Mayor Toledo, Seville, Cordoba, and Granada each boast royal residences from this era.
Casa de Cisneros, built in 1537 for the nephew of the famous cardinal Madrid, on the other hand, boasted a royal monastery and hunting lodge. Monument to Don Álvaro de Bazan on the Plaza de la Villa It also sometimes served as site of the Cortes, a Castilian legislative assembly. The Colegiata de San Isidro served as Madrid's cathedral until the completion of La Almudena in 1993
The 17th-century Palacio de Santa Cruz once served as a prison The king of France even found himself imprisoned here in 1525.
For better or worse, Madrid's status changed in 1561. Equestrian statue of Carlos III, at the Puerta del Sol Felipe II chose Madrid as his full-time capital. The Palacio de Santa Cruz now serves as the Spanish foreign ministry
The city grew quickly, tripling in size by the end of the century.
Statue on the Plaza Provincia, outside the Palacio de Santa Cruz Felipe III established the Plaza Mayor in 1619, for many years Madrid's main square. Statue of bear and madroño (strawberry tree), symbol of Madrid, at the Puerta del Sol
The ad for Tío Pepe sherry at the Puerta del Sol has become synonymous with the square Real Casa de Correos y Postas, former royal post office at the Puerta del Sol
The post office building later housed the ministry of the interior, and now the regional government The plaza hosted bullfights, executions, even the Inquisition. The Puerta del Sol takes its name from the city gate which once stood here An equestrian statue of its founder stands at its center. Iglesia del Carmen, near the Puerta del Sol
The Puerta del Sol, at the east end of the old city, is the heart of the modern city.
The "Gateway of the Sun" — "Kilometer 0" of the Spanish road network — is the place to be on New Year's Eve, or whenever madrileños gather together.
Cross on the Puerta Cerrada, near the Plaza Mayor 18th-century Basílica Pontificia de San Miguel Iglesia Santa María, near La Almudena Memorial to the victims of a 1906 assassination attempt on the royal couple
Altar inside the Catedral de la Almudena Statue of Pope John Paul II outside the cathedral Southern facade of the Palacio Real Construction of Nuestra Señora de la Almudena began in 1879
  La Almudena took over a century to complete  
Equestrian statue of Felipe IV in front of the Palacio Real Craig in the Plaza de Oriente, with the Teatro de la Ópera
Overlooking the Río Manzanares, the Palacio Real occupies the site of a former Moorish alcázar.  Felipe II remodeled the fortress in the Renaissance style.
Monument to Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, in the Plaza de España The current palace, built after a 1734 fire, was home to the royal family until 1931. Cervantes monument, with the Torre de Madrid, nicknamed "la Jirafa" (the giraffe)
Don Quixote & Sancho Panza Fountain in the Plaza de España
View of the Gran Vía near our hotel Gran Vía at night The Cine Ideal, on the Plaza Benavente, shows American movies such as "The Last Samurai" Detail of a bodega near the Teatro Español
Madrid experienced a building boom under the 18th-century Bourbon monarchs.
The modern city took shape as Carlos III laid out broad boulevards, squares and monuments.  Construction of the Gran Vía, Madrid's main street, began in 1910.
Statue of Francisco de Goya outside the Museo del Prado

Museo del Prado

 Carlos V y el Furor, in the 1st floor rotunda
"Velázquez" entrance to the museum Near the "Murillo" entrance
Classical sculpture on the ground floor Roman relief sculptures Recumbant nude, with 2nd-century bust of Antinous in the background
Roman goddess, presumably Venus More classical sculpture Renaissance-era sculpture of Carlos I (a.k.a. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V) Isabel, a Portuguese princess, was Charles' wife and mother of Felipe II
Fra Angelico, "The Annunciation Altarpiece" (c. 1435) Carlos III paid particular attention to developing the Parque del Retiro area. "Three Graces" from the Italian Renaissance
This royal garden featured numerous palaces and attractions. Another Renaissance-era annunciation, this time from Flanders The Paseo del Prado was laid out along its western edge.
  16th-century Flemish painter Hieronymus Bosch had an active imagination Rogier van der Weyden, "Descent from the Cross" (c. 1435) Another altarpiece from the Low Countries  
"Las Menininas", by Diego Velázquez (1656), depicts the family of Felipe IV

Some buildings along this boulevard were originally designed to house an academy of natural sciences.

 Reproducing Velázquez's "Infant Margarita" (bef. 1660)
One was instead set aside as a museum of painting and sculpture, which opened in 1819.
  José de Ribera was renowned for his use of chiaroscuro (light & shadow), as in "The Martyrdom of St. Philip" (c. 1639)   Diego Velázquez, "Los Borrachos" or "The Triumph of Bacchus" (c. 1625)  
Flemish take on the mythological origins of the Milky Way   We have no idea who painted this picture, but it sure was pretty   Peter Paul Rubens, "The Three Graces" (17th century)
The Museo del Prado has since become home to one of world's greatest collections.
Francisco de Goya, "Saturn Devouring One of His Sons" (1820-23) The Hapsburgs, who governed Spain until 1700, amassed an incredible assortment of art. We think this depiction of the Virgin was by the Italian Tiepolo
Carlos I of Spain was also Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Goya's "The Third of May 1808" depicts executions by French troops during the War of Independence He collected art from throughout his vast domains.
Francisco Goya, "The Clothed Maja" (1797)

Flemish and Dutch painters — Rubens, Van der Weyden, Bosch — are particularly well represented.

 Goya's nude version of the "Maja" was considered obscene by the Inquisition
Of course, the works of Spanish artists such as El Greco, Velázquez, and Goya steal the show.
  Goya created a number of panels depicting naturalistic scenes, such as these cats fighting  
Puerta de Alcalá, 18th-century ceremonial gateway In more recent years, Madrid has experienced its share of ups and downs.  During the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, Nationalist forces and their Nazi allies regularly bombarded the city.  Fountain in the Plaza de Cibeles, at the end of the Paseo del Prado
Life in Madrid and throughout the country has gradually improved since the return of democracy after the death of the dictator Franco in 1975.
Cultural activity has flourished, producing such talents as film director Pedro Almodóvar. Banco de España, on the Plaza de Cibeles Detail of the Palacio de Communicaciones on the Plaza de Cibeles Monumento del Dos de Mayo, commemorating the War of Independence against Napoleon Madrid is now capital of its own "autonomous community", one of Spain's 17 regions.
Just a month after we returned home, tragedy struck in Madrid. 
 Terrorist bombings killed nearly 200 people on March 11. Statue on the Paseo del Prado They were timed to influence upcoming national elections. Fuente de Neptuno on the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo At first, the bombings appeared to be the work of Basque separatists.
As it became clear that Islamic terrorists were probably behind the attacks — and that the conservative government was covering this up — Spanish voters returned the socialists to power.  While this shift is a setback for U.S. policy — the new prime minister has pledged to withdraw Spanish troops from Iraq — it brings Spain closer to its partners in the European Union.

Practical Information

We stayed in Madrid twice during our trip in January-February 2004.

  • Hotels: When we arrived in Madrid, we stayed at the Tryp Alameda Aeropuerto, which is notable only for its location.  Our last few nights in Spain, we stayed downtown at the Hotel Santo Domingo, next to the metro station of the same name.  This hotel turned out to be a little pricy, but it was conveniently located.
  • Restaurants: Founded in 1725, the Restaurante Botín claims to be the oldest restaurant in the world.  When we ate there with Paul & Alix, our local Olmsted counterparts, we were serenaded by local university students dressed in Renaissance-era costumes.
  • Transportation: Although we had a car in Madrid, we took the metro everywhere we went.  Parking was rather expensive at about €20 per day.
  • Miscellaneous: You can see American movies in their original language — that is, with subtitles rather than dubbed into Spanish — at the Cine Ideal on the Plaza Benavente.

For more from Castilla, click here.

This page was first published 9 May 2004, and last updated 08 March 2005.