Nobody knows quite why Philip II moved the royal court to Madrid back in the 16th century, but one credible theory is that its location, right at the heart of the Iberian Peninsula, made it the perfect spot to rule from. Only, if this was his true motivation, he was ever so slightly off. The …
The story of Madrid’s colonias When Madrid’s city walls were demolished in 1868, a construction boom got underway, with smart apartment blocks springing up all over the place. Areas like Salamanca took on a distinctly Parisian feel as the wealthy moved into grand flats furnished with every modern convenience. But little provision was made for …
The exhibition “Las Pequeñas Cosas“, on in the foyer of UNED until January 31 (but closed over the holiday period) is part of Mapas de Memoria, a project that couldn’t have been realised before the Ley de la Memoria Histórica was passed. During the transition to democracy, a political consensus to leave recriminations aside in …
General Miaja is worried. Though the heavy bombardment by German planes has stopped, Franco’s troops are on his doorstep. Banners floating above the battered city streets defiantly declare “No Pasarán!”. But right now, at the beginning of 1937, the head of Madrid’s Defence Council admits to himself that they might just get through. If he …
In central Madrid little remains of the city’s medieval past. Very soon after Philip II moved the court to the town in the 16th century, its walls were knocked down and remade to accommodate a larger populace, while all over, new buildings went up with scant regard for what had been there before. While tiny …
Each evening dozens of people flock to the Temple of Debod to watch the sun set from what is now one of Madrid’s most peaceful and beautiful spots. Most have no idea that less than 100 years ago this was the sight of a mass slaughter. That’s because only a single plaque remains and this …
Most of us associate shanty towns with poorer cities outside of Europe – areas where those below the poverty line live cheek to jowl in substandard housing, struggling to get by without proper access to basic amenities like running water and electricity. With these preconceptions in my own mind, it was quite a shock to …
The Telefónica building is one of Gran Via’s most impressive sights. Standing at 90 meters tall, this stately white edifice was the brainchild of Ignacio de Cárdenas, an architect who took his inspiration from Manhattan’s impressive skyscrapers, but also added his own Spanish touch with ornamental Baroque flourishes. When the project was completed in March 1929 …
Though the siege of Madrid lasted two and a half years, today the city bears few visible scars. As the bomb craters were filled in, a silence fell over the cowed populace. A silence that until recently has largely remained unbroken. And yet, out on the edges of the city where the battle raged the …
There are some bars that, rather than advertise their existence, seem to actively discourage new clientele. As soon as you walk through the door you feel like Luke Skywalker walking into the Cantina on Tatooine; the music stops, the patrons turn to give you withering looks and the bar tender ignores you when you try …