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The Making of Madrid From medieval medina to modern metropolis
13th July 2021
Madrid’s Only Surviving Pelota Stadium Restored to its Former Glory

Madrid’s Only Surviving Pelota Stadium Restored to its Former Glory

From the street, Madrid’s only remaining pelota stadium doesn’t look like much. Painted a genteel cream and white and decorated with ornamental columns and balustrades, it blends nicely in with the very Parisian look of Madrid’s northern neighbourhoods. But behind its polite public façade, a fast and furious version of pelota called cesta punta, or …

15th June 2021
The “reconquest” of Madrid

The “reconquest” of Madrid

When I heard that an observation deck had opened up next to the Royal Palace, I was down there like a shot. Closed off to visitors for years, up until now it had only been possible to get tantalizing glimpses of its spectacular views through iron railings. So it was a delight to be finally …

28th April 2021
Cerro de los Ángeles, Spain’s Ground Cerro

Cerro de los Ángeles, Spain’s Ground Cerro

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 …

16th March 2021
Madrid’s Colonias: Social Housing to Hot Property

Madrid’s Colonias: Social Housing to Hot Property

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 …

17th December 2020
How Spanish Nativities Became Huge

How Spanish Nativities Became Huge

Spanish Style Christmas Kitsch I first encountered the OTT Spanish nativity at a Christmas feast hosted by my uncle-in-law. Tío Mariano is famed for stuffing his guests with enough fine wine, top shelf jamón, and truffles to bring on a deep and lasting food coma. I wound up stupefied however, the moment I walked through …

25th April 2020
A History of Epidemics in Madrid

A History of Epidemics in Madrid

One of Madrid’s great mysteries is why Philip II named a country backwater as his capital when he had other, far more well-established cities to choose from. While Madrid is geographically slap bang in the center of Spain, in the 16th century roads were so poor that some believe delays in delivering the king’s orders …

19th March 2020
On Guard! Dueling in the Golden Age of Spanish Literature

On Guard! Dueling in the Golden Age of Spanish Literature

In Madrid’s Royal Academy of History lies a document that has had scholars of Spanish literature up in arms ever since it was discovered in a dusty archive in Valladolid back in 1840. Dated September 1569, it’s an order for the arrest of a “certain Miguel de Cervantes” accused of gravely wounding Don Antonio de …

21st February 2020
Street Signs in Madrid: a Brief History

Street Signs in Madrid: a Brief History

The beautiful tiled street signs in Madrid are one of the city’s most distinctive features and reproductions of them are sold by the bucket-load to tourists looking to take some souvenir of their stay back with them. But did you know that these iconic tiles only date as far back as the 1990s? What might …

18th January 2020
Golden Age of Ceramic Art in Madrid

Golden Age of Ceramic Art in Madrid

Anyone who finds themselves in the lobby of the newly refurbished Sevilla metro is in for a treat. Finally exposed after being hidden for 50 years is the svelte figure of a sassy flapper from the 1920s. The text accompanying her reads: “Sales de Carabaña soap, unbeatable for the skin.” It’s an advertisement that dates …

22nd December 2019
The Terrible Weight of a Hidden Past

The Terrible Weight of a Hidden Past

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 …

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