Madrid - General Information

Madrid 

Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the third largest in the European Union after London and Paris. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million. Madrid is now the fourth most visited capital city in Europe.  The city is located in the heart of the peninsula and the right in the center of the Castillian plain 646 meters above sea level. As the capital city of Spain, a cosmopolitan city, a business center, headquarters for the Public Administration, Government, Spanish Parliament and the home of the Spanish Royal Family, Madrid also plays a major role in both the banking and industrial sector. It is considered the major financial centre of Southern Europe. Madrid also ranks among the 12 greenest European cities in 2010. This is a city as at home in the nightclubs and bars that give the streets their soundtrack as it is in the hallowed halls of high culture. 

Its landmarks include the Royal Palace of Madrid; the Teatro Real (Royal theatre); the Buen Retiro park; the 19th-century National Library building; a large number of National museums, and the Golden Triangle of Art, located along the Paseo del Prado and comprising three art museums: Prado Museum, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, a museum of modern art, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, which completes the shortcomings of the other two museums.

The Royal Palace of Madrid

The Royal Palace of Madrid  is the official residence for the Royal family, but these days they only use it for state ceremonies. The rest of the time it's open to the public. It was built during the 18th and 19th centuries, and is a monumental building. The present day Royal Palace of Madrid was decorated to the tastes of Charles III, and is extremely lavish inside. Visitors can wander through many of the rooms and banqueting halls. With 2,800 rooms, over forty balconies, parade grounds, a plaza and a large landscaped park, the Royal Palace is an immense landmark that should be visited with plenty of time to spare.

The Teatro Real

The Teatro Real Located just in front of the Palacio Real of Madrid, the beautiful Teatro Madrid was originally the official residence of the Spain's Queen Isabel II. It was first inaugurated as an opera house in 1850, with a performance of Donizetti's "La Favorite"and has served gloriously in this role since. Today you can enjoy a variety of excellent programs and operas in this historic theater. 

It has been the scene of lyric productions but has also played host to parliamentary sessions and has even been used as a dance hall during the last century and a half.

The Buen Retiro park is the first biggest park of Madrid city. It has 1.4 km2 (350 acres) at the edge of the city center. It was created as a royal park; it belonged to the Real Sitio del Buen Retiro palace. In 1632, the palace was built by King Philips IV as a retreat for the Royal family. It's a magnificent park, filled with beautiful sculpture and monuments, galleries, a peaceful lake and host to a variety of events.It is a spectacular urban oasis of aromatic bay leaf trees, ponds, rose gardens, stunning fountains and museums.

National Library

The National Library of Spain (Biblioteca Nacional) is situated in an impressive neoclassical building to one side of Plaza de Colón. It has a rectangular floor plan and is neoclassical in style. Work began on its construction in 1866 and was completed in 1892. Come and visit this library which is a monument in itself. Special mention should be made of its broad exterior staircase and its main façade, with a Corinthian style, square-fronted portico, finished with sculptures by the artist Agustín Querol, representing the Triumph of the Sciences and the Arts. The facade of three entrance archways and wrought-iron gates is fantastically beautiful. The building also hosts statues of Alfonso X (The Wise) and San Isidoro before grand main staircase.   The National Library houses a bibliographic archive of incalculable value, comprised of books from the early days of print, engravings, musical scores, manuscripts, editorial rarities and a host of printed documents.

Prado Museum

Prado Museum is the jewel of Madrid, housed in a neo-classical 18th century building designed by Juan de Villanueva, located on the beautiful Paseo del Prado. The Prado Museum opened in 1819 during the reign of Fernando VII, as a public repository for the massive Spanish royal art collection, including paintings from the Habsburgs, Bourbons and the Church. The Prado was the first public art museum of its time and today holds impressive collections, particularly of the Spanish, Italian and Flemish schools. The Prado boasts the world's finest collection of Spanish art, with extensive examples of works by El Greco, Velazquez, Goya, and Murillo. Visitors can also explore a fine collection of works by Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens and Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch as well as a number of Italian masterpieces.