|
Madrid
Find cheap accommodation in Madrid
Madrid, the capital of Spain, is located in the center of
the country at 40°25'N, 3°45'W. As of 2003 census,
population of the city of Madrid proper was 3,092,759. Population
of the whole urban area was estimated in 2003 at 5,603,285
inhabitants.
Madrid is the capital not only of the country but also of
the province and autonomous community of Madrid.
Contents [showhide]
1 History
2 Contemporary Madrid
2.1 Alonso Martínez
2.2 Atocha
2.3 AZCA / Nuevos Ministerios
2.4 Chueca
2.5 Las Cortes
2.6 Gran Vía
2.7 Huertas-Lavapiés
2.8 La Latina
2.9 Malasaña
2.10 Vallecas
3 Tourist attractions
4 Nightlife
5 Universities
5.1 Universidad Complutense de Madrid
5.2 Other Universities
6 Transportation
6.1 Air
6.2 National Rail
6.3 Metro
7 Sports
8 See also
9 External links
[edit]
History
An 1888 German map of MadridAlthough the site of Madrid has
been occupied since prehistoric times, the first historical
data we have from the city is from the middle of the IX Century,
when Mohamed I ordered the construction of a small palace
(in the same place that is occupied now by the Palacio Real).
Around this palace there was built a small citadel (al-Mudaina).
Near that palace was the River Manzanares, which the muslims
called Mayrit meaning source of water. (from which Magerit,
then Madrid). The citadel was conquered in 1085 by Alfonso
VI in his advance towards Toledo. He reconsecrated the mosque
as the church of the Virgin of Almudena (almudin, the garrison's
granary). In 1329 the Cortes first assembled in Madrid to
advise Fernando VI. Jews and Moors continued to live in the
city in their quarter, still called the "Moreria"
until they were expelled and every mosque and synagogue utterly
obliterated.
After troubles and a fire Enrique III (1379-1406) rebuilt
the city and established himself safely fortified outside
its walls in El Pardo. The grand entry of Ferdinand and Isabella
into Madrid signalled the end of strife between Castile and
Aragon.
The kingdoms of Castile, with its capital at Toledo, and
Aragon, with its capital at Valencia, were welded into modern
Spain in the person of Carlo I. Though King Carlo favored
Madrid, it was his son, Felipe II (1527-1598) who moved the
Imperial Court to Madrid in 1561. Although he made no official
declaration, the seat of the Court was the de facto capital.
Seville continued to control the Spanish Indies, but Madrid
controlled Seville. Aside from a brief period, 1601 - 1606,
when Felipe III installed his court in Valladolid, Madrid's
fortunes have closely mirrored those of Spain. During the
Siglo de Oro (Golden Century), which is situated between the
XVI y el XVII centuries, Madrid had no resemblance with other
European Capitals, in fact, the population of the city lived
out of business that were court related.
Felipe V decided that an European Capital could not stay
in such state in new palaces (including the Palacio Real are
built under his kingdom. However, it would not until Carlos
III (1716-1788) that Madrid, as a modern city, would be born.
Carlos III would be one of the most popular kings in the history
of Madrid, and the said "the best mayor, the king"
would become popular during those times. When Carlos IV (1748-1819)
became King the people of Madrid revolves. After the Mutiny
of Aranjuez which was impulsed by his own son Fernando VII
against him, Carlos IV resigns, but Fernando VII kingdom would
be short since in May of 1808 the troops of Napoleon enter
the city.
After the war of independence (1814) Fernando VII came back
to the throne but after a liberal military revolution, Coronel
Riego made the king swear respect to the Constitution. This
would start a period where liberal and conservative alternate
government that would end with the enthronement of Isabel
II (1830-1904), who would not be able to calm down the political
tension that would lead to yet after another revolt, the First
Spanish Republic, the comeback of the monarchs which eventually
would lead to the Second Spanish Republic and the Spanish
Civil War. During this war (1936-1939) Madrid would be one
of the most affected cities and its streets became battlezones.
During the fascist dictatorship of Francisco Franco Madrid
became very industrialized and there were massive migrations
into the city. Towards the end of the dictatorship ETA assassinated
Franco's prime minister, Luis Carrero Blanco, in the Street
of Claudio Coello, which would be applauded by the liberals
and would provocate a political change that lead the country
into a Monarchic Democracy. After the demise of Franco, Spain
became a constitutional monarchy. Befitting its new-found
prosperity, the capital city of Spain has consolidated its
position as the leading economic, cultural, industrial, educational,
and technological center on the Iberian peninsula.
[edit]
Contemporary Madrid
The Puerta del Sol square, in the heart of the city
The Plaza de Cibeles square and the Palacio de ComunicacionesContemporary
Madrid came into its own after the death of the Fascist dictator
Franco. Years of the Franco regime left Madrid and much the
country in economic shambles due to isolation. With his death,
Madrid and Spain as a whole began to re-assert itself on the
international stage. Within Spain, reaction against the dictatorial
bureaucracy centered in Madrid and a history of centralism
that pre-dated Franco by centuries has resulted in the successful
modern movement towards increased autonomy for the regions
of Spain, considered as European regions, under the umbrella
of Spain.
Modern Madrid ranks as an important city in Europe. By attempting
to establish itself as the leading southern European city
and the most important link between the European Union and
Latin America, the city is still in the midst of its transformation.
The modern metropolis is home to over three million people.
As expected with any major European capital city, each district
(or barrio in Spanish) has its own feel.
[edit]
Alonso Martínez
This district contains the large Plaza de Colón. This
plaza commemorate Christopher Columbus, who was responsible
for ushering in the Spanish imperial golden age of the 16th
and 17th centuries. This district also contains the main bus
terminal as it is a central point of the city. It is within
walking distance of the main cultural and commercial areas
of the city such as the Prado museum, the expansive Parque
del Buen Retiro as well as near the business center on the
lower part of the Paseo de la Castellana.
[edit]
Atocha
Façade of the old Atocha Railway station buildingAtocha
includes a rather large area which is bordered by the Huertas
and Lavapiés districts. The two important sites located
in this area are the Reina Sofía Museum and the Atocha
Railway Station, one of the two main train stations in Madrid
(the other one is Chamartín). The area also contains
a number of art galleries and restaurants serving traditional
food.
[edit]
AZCA / Nuevos Ministerios
Torre Picasso, in AZCAThis is the financial district. The
area is populated by skyscrapers, among them Torre Picasso,
Edificio BBVA and Torre Europa. A very large (3 interconnected
buildings) El Corte Inglés department store is also
here. The area is directly linked to Barajas Airport by metro
line 8 from Nuevos Ministerios station.
[edit]
Chueca
Chueca is among the most authentic and cosmopolitan neighborhoods
in the downtown city center. This district was the site of
major urban decay during the early 1980s. However, later on
during the decade. it became one the most active centers of
the so-called 'La Movida', largely due to its new-found status
as a popular gay village. It is still quite attractive and
has many good and interesting places to eat, as well as some
of Madrid's most avant guard fashion and shoe shops.
[edit]
Las Cortes
This district is small in size but packs a number of powerful
sites. The most important include Spanish parliament buildings
of the lower house Congreso de los Diputados as well as the
upper house, the Senate (El Senado). It also includes one
of the three museums of the Madrid golden triangle, the Thyssen-Bornemisza
Museum. In addition, we find the highly ornate Banco de España,
the Café del Círculo de Bellas Artes, the Zarzuela
theater.
[edit]
Gran Vía
As the name implies, the Gran Vía district contains
one of Madrid's most important avenues, the Gran Vía
(literally, "Broadway") First and foremost it's
a shopping street, but it also contains also a number of tourist
accommodations, plenty of nightlife and most of Madrid's largest
movie theaters. It is also unfortunately a hub for Madrid's
red-light district, especially the side streets. One of those
streets, Fuencarral has become a link between the old shopping
areas of the center of the city, the bohemian Malasaña
and the hip Chueca, making of it a very cosmopolitan area
that has helped Madrid to take one step closer to other european
cities such as Barcelona and London.
[edit]
Huertas-Lavapiés
Traditionally one of the poorer neighborhoods near the city
center, this district has maintained much of true 'Madrileño'
spirit of the past. Lavapiés is one of the areas with
a high concentration of immigrants, and also tends to attract
artists and writers adding to the cosmopolitan mix. The presence
of immigrants has lead to an inevitable variety of shops and
restaurants - this is a good place for good and cheap restaurants
of local and international food. It's also one of the best
places to search for non-Spanish foodstuff, (herbs and spices
etc.) Due to its immigrant character, there are fears (mostly
unjustified) of crime in this district.
[edit]
La Latina
In and around this area are the origins of Madrid. Its difficult
to put precise boundaries on La Latina, because, like its
immediate neighbors, streets are narrow and wind a lot. There
are a few, though not many, spots for nightlife. There are
also a number of attractive churches as well as Madrid's town
hall. Bordering on La Latina's east side is the famous Rastro
flea-market (a prime pick-pocket spot).
[edit]
Malasaña
Malasaña is a vibrant neighborhood full of lively bars
and clubs overflowing with young people. Its streets are currently
being renovated, making it a much more attractive quarter
(the streetworks are almost finished). It's one of the classic
areas for partying the night away. The area's center is the
Plaza del Dos de Mayo (celebrating the expulsion of Napoleon's
forces from Madrid and consequently Spain).
Although popularly known as the barrio Malasaña, the
real name for the area is Universidad (University). The name
Malasaña comes from the 17 year old girl Manuela Malasaña
who once lived on the street San Andrés. She was killed
fighting the French in 1808. Today there is a street named
in her honour very close to the roundabout 'Glorieta de Bilbao'.
[edit]
Vallecas
Vallecas is a financially poor district in the south of Madrid,
mainly inhabited by the Roma and descendants of poeple migrating
from Latin America. Some claim that drug trafficking is rampant
in this area.
[edit]
Tourist attractions
The Prado MuseumImportant cultural and tourist spots include
the so-called Golden Triangle of Art, located along the Paseo
del Prado and comprising the famous Prado Museum (with highlights
such as Diego Velázquez's Las Meninas and Francisco
de Goya's La Maja vestida and La Maja desnuda), the Thyssen
Bornemisza Museum and the Reina Sofia Museum (where Pablo
Picasso's Guernica hangs); the Plaza Mayor; the Gran Via;
the Casón del Buen Retiro (hosting the 19th-century
collection of the Prado Museum; currently closed for reform),
the Palacio Real, the Templo de Debod (a temple brought stone-by-stone
from Egypt) , the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, the
Puerta del Sol and the Parque del Buen Retiro.
Madrid is also host to one of the most famous bullfighting
rings in the world, Las Ventas [1] (http://www.las-ventas.com/).
Other nearby towns are popular as day trips from Madrid,
including Toledo, Segovia, Ávila, Aranjuez, Alcalá
de Henares, the monastery and palace complex of El Escorial,
and Chinchón.
This section is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding
it (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Madrid&action=edit).
[edit]
Nightlife
Madrid is also noted for its nightlife and discotheques. It's
not uncommon for madrileños to dance all night, head
to the Chocolateria San Ginés for chocolate y churros
at dawn, go home, shower, shave, and go to work. This nightlife,
called la movida and initially focussed on the Plaza del Dos
de Mayo, flourished after the death of Franco, especially
during the 80's while Madrid's most cherished mayor Enrique
Tierno Galván was in office. A particular hub for this
night activity is nowadays the nearby gay village of Chueca.
[edit]
Universities
As expected by it status as the capital, Madrid is the largest
hub in Spain for university life. Here is a list of schools
for higher education.
[edit]
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
The Complutense University has its origins in the 13th century
on the banks of the river Henares. The university achieved
the name "Complutense" due to the fact that it was
originally situated in the town of Alcalá de Henares,
whose Latin name was Complutum. In 1836 it was transferred
to the city of Madrid. The Complutense University is one of
the oldest universities in the world, as well as the largest
and most prestigious (after Salamanca) in Spain. It has a
staff of 10000 people and a student population of 117 000,
located primarily in the university quarter Ciudad Universitaria
at Moncloa.
[edit]
Other Universities
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM (http://www.uam.es))
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM (http://www.upm.es))
Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED
(http://www.uned.es))
Fundación General de la Universidad de Alcalá
Universisad Carlos III de Madrid(Carlos 3o (http://www.uc3m.es))
Universidad Pontificia Comillas (ICADE-ICAI (http://www.upco.es))
Universidad de Alcalá de Henares(Alcalá (http://www.uah.es)
Universidad Europea de Madrid (UEM (http://www.uem.es))
Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio(* (http://www.uax.es/))
Fundación Universitaria San Pablo (CEU (http://www.ceu.es))
Fundación Universidad Empresa
Escuela de Organización Industrial (EOI (http://www.eoi.es))
Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca (UPSAM (http://www.upsam.com))
Facultad de Ciencias del Seguro, Jurídicas y de la
Empresa
[edit]
Transportation
[edit]
Air
Madrid is served by Barajas International Airport. Barajas
serves as the main hub of recently privatized Iberia Airlines.
It consequently serves as the main gateway to the Iberian
peninsula from Europe and the rest of the world. Current passenger
volumes range upwards of 40 million passengers per year. Given
annual increases of 10%, a new fourth terminal is in the process
of being constructed. It is expected to significantly reduce
delays and double the capacity of the airport. Additional
runways are also being constructed.
[edit]
National Rail
Spain's public railway system, the Red Nacional de Ferrocarriles
Españoles (Renfe) operates the vast majority of Spain's
railways. In Madrid, the main rail terminals are Atocha and
Chamartín.
The crown jewel of Spain's next decade of infrastructure
construction is the Spanish high speed rail network, Alta
Velocidad Española AVE. Currently, an ambitious plan
includes the construction of a 7000 km network, centered naturally
on Madrid. The overall goal is to have all important provincial
cities be no more than 4 hours away from Madrid, and no more
than 6 hours away from Barcelona. Currently, AVE high-speed
trains link Atocha station to Seville in the south and Lleida
in the east (to be extended to Barcelona).
[edit]
Metro
Despite the city's population of some three million, the Madrid
Metro is one of the most extensive and fastest-growing metro
networks in the world. It is now the second largest metro
system in Western Europe, second only to London's Underground.
The city is also served by extensive commuter rail called
Cercanías.
[edit]
Sports
Madrid is home to Real Madrid, the world's most successful
football club (according to FIFA). There are three other major
teams, the Primera Division club Atlético de Madrid,
Getafe Club de Futbol and Rayo Vallecano.
[edit]
See also
11 March, 2004 Madrid attacks
This article is licensed
under the GNU
Free Documentation License. It uses material from the
Wikipedia article
"madrid'.
antigua
united arab emirates
holidays
Afghanistan holidays
Albania holidays
Algeria holidays
Andorra holidays
|
Home