In order to fully appreciate a trip to Madrid, it is helpful to become better acquainted with the city through its history. We will follow up the article with several significant places you may wish to stay while in Madrid.
Madrid was made the capital of Spain by King Phillip II in the mid 1500's. During this particular period of time, Spain was at the height of its colonial power.
Although, the Spanish Colonial Empire began to decline during the 1600's, Madrid remained a significant cultural governmental center during this time period.
Madrid incurred a great deal of damage during the Spanish Civil War which occurred from 1936 to 1939; therefore, a good deal of the town needed to be reconstructed from the ruins of war.
The Puerta del Sol (meaning Gate of the Sun) is a crescent shaped plaza located in the center of downtown Madrid.
The Calle de Alcala is one of the city's main streets and extends in an eastward direction from the Puerta del Sol. Some of the buildings found on this street were constructed as early as the 1500's and 1600's.
Madrid's business district is located north of the Calle de Alcala. Here the visitor will find banks, hotels, restaurants, shopping and theater.
The Salamanca district is located in the northeast portion of the city and is a residential area built in the latter part of the 1800's and early 1900's.
Madrid's most famous and significant monuments and buildings are inside or near the older section and central business district of the city. The Royal Palace is found at the western border of Madrid's “old section” and was constructed in the 1700's. The Royal family of Spain occupied the palace until the year 1931. In that year, King Alfonso X111 was forced out of the country. The palace is quite extraordinary, and became a museum after the Royals no longer took up residence inside of it.
Not to be missed are Madrid's lovely old churches. There are also a number of public squares with statues and fountains.
Beginning in the 1950s, Madrid began to expand from a population standpoint in all directions.
The people of Madrid are referred to as Madrilenos. (This is pronounced as Mah druh La Yn Yohs). The language is Castilian Spanish which is the official language of Spain.
The visitor will find many fine restaurants in the city. Favorite dishes of the people include beef, lamb and seafood.
Madrid's most popular sport is soccer. The city's soccer stadium is one of the world's largest with a seating capacity of more than 100,000. Also, Madrid is host to the traditional bullfights held at Plaza de Toros.
The University of Madrid is the country's largest University.
The Prado is one of the world's foremost art museums. The museum is also referred to as the National Museum of Painting and Sculpture. Here you will find well over two-thousand paintings by Spanish and other well-known national masters. Works by artists such as El Greco and Francisco Goya are “housed” within the museum.
Madrid is home to other significant museums of art and other museums “devoted” to natural history and science. Additionally, Spain's national Library and National Historical Archives are located inside the city. Madrid, therefore, is full of culture and significant historical and architectural sites.
You'll find the climate in Madrid as dry. The summers are hot and the winters are on the “cool side.” The temperatures average around forty degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees c) in January and around seventy four degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees c) in the month of July.
Today, Madrid is a major industrial center. Spain encouraged the establishment of industry during the 1900s.
A brief history of the city follows:
During AD 900, a fortress was built by the Moors on the site that became Madrid.
In 1083, individuals under the rule of King Alfonso VI of Leon and Castile gained control of the area.
Madrid remained insignificant until the year of 1561. It was during this year Phillip II made Madrid the capital of the country. Madrid quickly grew during the late 1500s and early 1600s and became one of Western Europe's great cities.
Although aristocrats and royal officials built homes in the city during the time period, a large portion of the population were poor and lived in rundown and overcrowded conditions. As a result, epidemics were not uncommon and there was a great deal of crime.
All of that changed during the 1700s when the Spanish government took measures to clean up the city and, thus, make it a safer place in which to live.
During the time frame of 1808 to 1813, the French, under the leadership of Napoleon, occupied the city. In 1808, a group of Madrilenos revolted against the French forces. This initial revolt, however, proved unsuccessful. The uprising started a resistance movement by the Spanish and in time, the Spaniards were able to “drive” the French out of Spain.
