Madrid ( ; , colloquially )
is the capital and largest city
of Spain
.
It is the
third-most populous municipality in the European Union after Greater London
and Berlin
, and its
metropolitan area is the
third-most
populous city by urban area in the European Union after
Paris and London
.
The city
is located on the river Manzanares in the
centre of both the country and the
Community of
Madrid
(which comprises the city of Madrid, its
conurbation and extended suburbs and villages); this community is
bordered by the autonomous
communities of Castile and León
and Castile-La Mancha
. As the capital city of Spain,
seat of government, and
residence of
the Spanish monarch, Madrid is also the
political centre of Spain. The current
mayor
is
Alberto
Ruiz-Gallardón from the
People's Party. He has been in office
since 2003, when he left the
Presidency of the Autonomous Community of
Madrid and stood as the candidate to replace outgoing mayor
José María
Álvarez del Manzano, also from the PP. In the last local
elections of 2007, Ruiz-Gallardón increased the PP majority in the
City Council to 34 seats out of 57, taking 55.5% of the popular
vote and winning in all but two districts.
Due to its
economic output, standard of living, and market size, Madrid is considered the
major financial centre of the Iberian
Peninsula
; it hosts
the head offices of the vast majority of the major Spanish
companies, as well as the headquarters of three of the world's 100
largest companies (Telefónica,
Repsol-YPF, Banco Santander).
While Madrid possesses a modern infrastructure, it has preserved
the look and feel of many of its historic neighbourhoods and
streets.
Its landmarks include the huge Royal Palace of
Madrid
; the Teatro
Real
(Royal theatre) with its restored 1850 Opera House;
the Buen Retiro
park
, founded in 1631; the imposing 19th-century
National Library
building (founded in 1712) containing some of Spain's historical
archives; an archaeological museum
; and three superb art museums: Prado Museum
, which hosts one of the finest art collections in
the world, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina
Sofía
, a museum of modern art, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
, housed in the renovated Villahermosa
Palace.
The population of the city is roughly 3.2 million (as of December
2005), while the estimated urban area population is 5.1 million.
The entire population of the Madrid
metropolitan area (urban area and suburbs)
is calculated to be 5.84 million. The city spans a total of
698 km² (234
sq mi).
Names of the city
Fountain of Apollo or of the Four
Seasons, at the Paseo del Prado
There are several theories regarding the origin of the name
"Madrid".
According to legend Madrid was founded by
Ocno Bianor (son of King Tyrrhenius of Tuscany and Mantua
) and was
named "Metragirta" or "Mantua Carpetana". Others contend
that the original name of the city was "Ursaria" ("land of
bears" in
Latin), due to the high
number of these animals that were found in the adjacent forests,
which, together with the
strawberry
tree ("madroño" in
Spanish),
have been the emblem of the city from
the
Middle Ages.
Nevertheless, it is now commonly believed that the origin of the
current name of the city comes from the
2nd
century B.C. The
Roman Empire
established a settlement on the banks of the
Manzanares river. The name of this first village
was "Matrice" (a reference to the river that crossed the
settlement). Following the invasions of the Germanic
Sueves,
Vandals and
Alans during the
fifth
century A.D., the Roman Empire could
not defend its territories on the Iberian Peninsula, and were
therefore overrun by the
Visigoths. The
barbarian tribes subsequently took control of "Matrice". In the
7th century the
Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula
saw the name changed to "Mayrit", from the
Arabic term "Mayra" (referencing water as a
"trees" or "giver of life") and the Ibero-Roman suffix "it" that
means "place". The modern "Madrid" evolved from the
Mozarabic "Matrit", which is still in the
Madrilenian
gentilic.
History
Middle Ages
Although
the site of modern-day Madrid has been occupied since pre-historic times, in the Roman era this territory belonged to the diocese of Complutum
(present-day Alcalá de Henares). There are
archeological remains of a small village during the
visigoth epoch, whose name might have been adopted
later by Arabs.
The origins of the modern city come from the
9th century, when Muhammad I ordered the
construction of a small palace in the same
place that is today occupied by the Palacio Real
. Around this palace a small
citadel, al-Mudaina, was built.Near that palace was
the
Manzanares, which the Muslims called
al-Majrīṭ (
Arabic: المجريط, "source
of water"). From this came the naming of the site as
Majerit, which later evolved into the modern-day spelling
of
Madrid.
The citadel was conquered in 1085 by
Christian king Alfonso VI of Castile 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 Generales first assembled in the
city to advise
Alfonso XI of
Castile.
Sephardi Jews and
Moors continued to live in the city until they
were expelled at the end of the 15th century.
After troubles and a
large fire, Henry III of
Castile (1379–1406) rebuilt the city and established himself
safely fortified outside its walls in El Pardo
. The grand entry of
Ferdinand and Isabella to Madrid
heralded the end of strife between
Castile and
Aragon.
Renaissance
The
Kingdom of Castile, with its
capital at Toledo, and the
Crown of Aragon, with its capital at
Zaragoza
, were welded into modern Spain by the
Catholic Monarchs (Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon).
Though their grandson
Charles I of
Spain (also known as
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor)
favoured Seville, it was Charles' son,
Philip II (1527–1598) who moved the 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 commerce with Spain's
colonies, 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.
_18.jpg/200px-Calle_de_Alcal%C3%A1_(Madrid)_18.jpg)
Alcalá Street.
During the
Siglo de Oro (Golden
Century), in the 16th/17th century, Madrid bore little resemblance
to other European capitals, as the population of the city was
economically dependent on the business of the court itself, and
there was no other significant activity.
From 19th century to present day
_06.jpg/180px-Plaza_de_Castilla_(Madrid)_06.jpg)
Plaza de Castilla
In the late 1800s,
Isabel II
could not suppress the political tension that would lead to yet
another revolt, the
First Spanish
Republic. This was later followed by the return of the monarchy
to Madrid, then the creation of the
Second Spanish Republic, preceding
the
Spanish Civil War.
Madrid was one of the most heavily affected
cities of
Spain by the Civil War (1936–1939). The city was a stronghold
of the
Republicans from July 1936.
Its western suburbs were the scene of an all-out battle in November
1936 and it was during the Civil War that Madrid became the first
city to be bombed by airplanes specifically
targeting civilians in the
history of warfare. (See
Siege of Madrid ).
During the
dictatorship of
Francisco Franco, especially during the
1960s, the south of Madrid became very industrialized, and there
were massive
migrations from rural
areas of Spain into the city. Madrid's south-eastern periphery
became an extensive
working class
settlement, which was the base for an active cultural and political
reform.
After the death of Franco, emerging democratic parties (including
those of left-wing and republican ideology) accepted King
Juan Carlos I as both Franco's successor and
as the heir of the historic dynasty - in order to secure stability
and democracy. This led Spain to its current position as a
constitutional monarchy, with Madrid
as capital.
Benefiting from increasing prosperity in the 1980s and 1990s, the
capital city of Spain has consolidated its position as an important
economic, cultural, industrial, educational, and technological
center on the
European continent.
Geography
Climate
The region of Madrid has a
Continental Mediterranean
climate (
Köppen Dsa) with cooler
winters, due to altitude, including sporadic snowfalls and minimum
temperatures usually below 0
°C
(32
°F). Summer tends to be hot with
temperatures that consistently surpass 30 °C (86 °F) in
July and that can rarely reach 40 °C (104 °F). Due to
Madrid's altitude and dry climate, nightly temperatures tend to be
cooler, leading to a lower average in the summer months.
Precipitation levels are low,
but precipitation can be observed throughout the year. Summer and
winter are the driest seasons, with most rainfall occurring in the
autumn and spring.
Water supply
Madrid
derives almost 50 percent of its water
supply from dams and reservoirs built on the Lozoya River, such as the El Atazar Dam
.
Districts
Madrid is administratively divided into 21 districts, which are
further subdivided into 128 wards (
barrios)
The
Madrid Metropolitan
Area population density.
Metropolitan Area
The
Madrid Metropolitan Area ( ) comprises the
city of Madridand forty surrounding municipalities. It has a
populationof slightly more than
5.8 million people and covers an
areaof
4.609,7 km².
It is the largest metropolitan area in Spain and by one
measure the fourth largest in European
Union and the 45th largest in the world.
As with many metropolitan areas of similar size, two distinct zones
of urbanisation can be distinguished:
- Inner
ring (primera corona): Alcorcón
, Leganés
, Getafe
, Móstoles
, Fuenlabrada
, Coslada
, Alcobendas
, Pozuelo de Alarcón
, San Fernando de Henares
- Outer
ring (segunda corona): Villaviciosa
de Odón
, Parla
, Pinto, Valdemoro
, Rivas-Vaciamadrid
, Torrejón de Ardoz
, Alcalá de Henares
, San Sebastián de los Reyes
, Tres
Cantos
, Las Rozas de Madrid
, Majadahonda
, Boadilla del Monte
The largest
suburbs are to the South, and in
general along the main routes leading out of Madrid.
Submetropolitan areas
A new project, has stated there are more
submetropolitan
areas inside
Madrid metropolitan area:
|
Submetropolitan area
|
Area
(km²)
|
Population
(pop.)
|
Density
(pop./km²)
|
| Madrid - Majadahonda |
996.1 |
3,580,828 |
3,595.0 |
| Móstoles |
315.1 |
430,349 |
1,365.6 |
| Fuenlabrada - Leganés - Getafe - Parla - Pinto - Valdemoro |
931.7 |
822,806 |
883.1 |
| Alcobendas |
266.4 |
205,905 |
772.9 |
Arganda del Rey - Rivas-Vaciamadrid |
343.6 |
115,344 |
335.7 |
| Alcalá de Henares - Torrejón de Ardoz |
514.6 |
360,380 |
700.3 |
Colmenar Viejo - Tres
Cantos |
419.1 |
104,650 |
249.7 |
Collado Villalba |
823.1 |
222,769 |
270.6 |
| Madrid metropolitan area |
4,609.7 |
5,843,031 |
1,267.6 |
Architecture
Puerta del Sol square
_20.jpg/180px-Gran_V%C3%ADa_(Madrid)_20.jpg)
Plaza del Callao
_01.jpg/143px-Red_de_San_Luis_(Madrid)_01.jpg)
Red de San Luis
Although the site of Madrid has been occupied since prehistoric
times, the first historical data that concerns the city dates from
the middle of the ninth Century, when Mohammad I ordered the
construction of a small palace (site occupied now by the Palacio
Real).Around this palace there was built a small citadel
(al-Mudaina). The palace was built overlooking the River
Manzanares, which the Muslims called Mayrit meaning source of water
(which in turn became Magerit, and then eventually 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), now the
Catedral de
la Almudena
. In 1329 the Cortes first assembled in
Madrid to advise
Fernando
IV. Jews and Moors continued to live in the city in their
quarter, still known today as the "Moreria", until they were
expelled.
The Royal Palace of Madrid and the buildings and monuments of the Paseo del Prado (Salón del Prado and Alcalá
Gate) deserve special mention. They were constructed in a
sober
Baroque international style, often
mistaken for neoclassical, by the Bourbon kings.Plans for the
construction of a new cathedral for Madrid dedicated to the
Virgin of Almudena began in the
16th century, but the slow construction did not begin until 1879.
Francisco de Cubas, the Marquis
of Cubas, was the architect who designed and directed the
construction in a
Gothic revival
style. Construction ceased completely during the
Spanish Civil War.
The project was
abandoned until 1950, when Fernando Chueca Goitia adapted the
plans of de Cubas to a neoclassical
style exterior to match the grey and white façade of the Palacio Real, which stands directly opposite. and was not
completed until 1993, when the cathedral was consecrated by Pope
John Paul II. On Calle Princesa, in the heart of the
district of Moncloa, lies el Ejército del Aire, the headquarters of
the Spanish Air Force. A scaled-down replica of the famous
Monastery San Lorenzo del Escorial which lies about 50 kilometers
northeast of Madrid, el Ejército del Aire is a classic example of
Fascist Neoclassicism in Madrid.
The financial district in downtown Madrid between the streets
Raimundo Fernández
Villaverde, Orense, General Perón and
Paseo de la Castellana, its original
conception (and its name) to the "Plan General de Ordenación Urbana
de Madrid", approved in 1946.
The purpose of this plan was to create a
huge block of modern office buildings with metro and railway
connections in the expansion area of northern Madrid, just in front
of Real Madrid stadium (currently named the Santiago
Bernabéu Stadium
) and beside the brand new government complex of
Nuevos Ministerios. A
botanical garden, a library and an
opera house were also included in the plans, but these were never
built.
Cuatro
Torres Business Area
is a business park
currently under construction. The area will contain
the tallest skyscrapers in Madrid and
Spain (Torre
Espacio
, Torre de
Cristal
, Torre Sacyr Vallehermoso
and Torre Caja Madrid
).
Madrid
Barajas International Airport
Terminal 4, designed by Antonio Lamela and Richard Rogers (winning them the 2006
Stirling Prize), and TPS Engineers,
(winning them the 2006 IStructE
Award for Commercial Structures) was inaugurated on February 5,
2006. Terminal 4 is one of the world's largest terminal
areas, with an area of 760,000
square
meters (8,180,572
square feet) in
two separate terminals. Consisting of a main building, T4 (470,000
square meter), and satellite building,
T4S (290,000
square meter), which are
separated by approximately 2.5 km.
Hong Kong
International Airport
still holds the title for the world's largest
single terminal building (Terminal 1) at 570,000 square
meter. The new Terminal 4 is meant to give passengers a
stress-free start to their journey. This is managed through careful
use of illumination, available by glass panes instead of walls and
numerous domes in the roof which allow natural light to pass
through. With the new addition, Barajas is designed to handle 70
million passengers annually.
Environment
_07.jpg/180px-Plaza_de_Col%C3%B3n_(Madrid)_07.jpg)
Plaza de Colón
Partial view of Centro and Chamartín
districts.
_07.jpg/180px-Palacio_Real_(Madrid)_07.jpg)
Madrid Royal Palace
Madrid is
full of green spaces and parkland; in central Madrid the largest
park is Parque del
Retiro
, spreading out to the north-east of Atocha Railway
station. The station is the core center for high-speed AVE
trains, with current lines to Valladolid (North-West), Barcelona
(North-East) and Seville (South).
Madrid has many trees, both in parks and on the streets, with about
500,000. In 2005, the city had 300,000 and only Tokyo had more
trees (100,000 more), but also had three times more population than
Madrid.
Parque del Retiro, formerly the grounds of the palace built for
Felipe IV, is Madrid’s most
popular park. Its large lake in the middle once staged mini naval
sham battles to amuse royalty; these days the more tranquil pastime
of pleasure boating is popular. Inspired by London’s crystal
palace, the palacio de cristal can be found at the south-eastern
end of the park.
In the
Retiro Park is also the Forest of the Departed
(Spanish Bosque de los Ausentes), a
memorial monument to commemorate the 191 victims of the 11 March 2004 Madrid
attacks.
Atocha
Railway Station
is not only the city’s first and most central station but also home to a
distinctive indoor garden with 4,000 square meters of tropical
plants. Atocha station has become a hothouse destination in
itself for plant lovers, with more than 500 species of plant life
and ponds with turtle and goldfish in, as well as shops and cafes.
It's a nice place to visit on a cold or wet day with its even
temperature of 24 degrees Celsius, or even on a scorching summer
day as a retreat from the heat.
Casa de Campo is an enormous rural parkland to the west of the
city, the largest of all Madrid’s green areas. It’s home to a
fairground, zoo and an outdoor municipal pool, to enjoy a bird’s
eye view of the park and city take a cable car trip above the tree
tops.
The Royal Botanic Garden or Real Jardin Botanico was an 18th
century creation by Carlos III, it was used as a base for the plant
species being collected across the globe. There is an important
research facility that started life as a base to develop
herbal remedies and to house the species collected
from the new-world trips, today it is dedicated to maintaining
Europe’s ecosystem.
The pioneering ecological
theme park
Faunia, is a natural history museum and zoo combined, aimed at
being fun and educational for children. It comprises eight
eco-systems from
tropical rain
forests to
polar regions, and
contains over 1,500 animals, some of which roam freely
Economy
Economy from Middle Ages to 20th century
During the end of the
Middle Ages,
Madrid experienced astronomic growth as a consequence of its
establishment as the new capital of the
Spanish Empire.
As Spain (like many
other European countries) continued to centralize royal authority,
this meant that Madrid took on greater importance as a center of
administration for the Spanish
Kingdom. It evolved to become an important nucleus
of
artisanal activity that eventually
experienced industrial revolution during of the 19th century. The
city made even greater strides at expansion during the 20th
century, especially after the
Spanish
Civil War, reaching levels of industrialization found in other
European capital cities. The economy of the city was then centered
on diverse manufacturing industries such as those related to
motor vehicles, aircraft, chemicals,
electronic devices, pharmaceuticals,
processed food, printed materials, and
leather goods.
Economy from 1992 to 2008
_02.jpg/180px-Zona_financiera_de_la_M-30_(Madrid)_02.jpg)
Pío XII District
Madrid is a major centre for
international business and commerce.
It is one of Europe's largest financial centres and the largest in
Spain.
During the period from 1992 to 2006, Madrid experienced very
significant growth in its
service sector.
The importance of the
Barajas
Airport
to the city's economy is substantial. The
construction of housing and
public
works, such as the ringroads and train network, constituted a
major pillar of the economy up to 2006. As Spain has become
decentralized politically, Madrid has taken on a smaller
administrative profile as compared to the rest of the Spanish
state.
Even so, the Community of Madrid (centered upon the city of Madrid)
experienced the highest growth of all the Spanish regions between
2004 to 2006. Its growth rate was higher than for the country as a
whole by 1.4% during the period 2000-2006, and that of the
Eurozone by 13%.
Madrid
has become the 23rd richest city in the world and third richest in
Europe in terms of absolute GDP; the economic output for the year 2005 was of $201.5
billion, behind the considerably larger cities of Paris
($460
billion) and London
($452
billion) and ahead of Moscow
and
Barcelona
. Additionally in terms ofpx GDP per capita, Madrid, in specific the
Madrid region is the richest in Spain and one of
the richest in Europe. At 133.9% of
the
European average of 25,800€
(34,572€/$48,313) Madrid is ahead of the all other 8 Spanish
regions above 100%. Similarly, Madrid is just 97.8% of New York's
purchasing power.
Madrid is
one of the cities in the Iberian Peninsula that attracts most foreign investment and job
seekers. One of the reasons for this are the wages in
Madrid; despite minimum wage being just
740€ in Spain, the average
salary in Madrid during 2007 was 2540€,
clearly above the Spanish average of 2085€. However in terms of
net earnings, Madrid places second in Spain; Madrid is
28th in the world, at 78.6%.
Especially over the last 15 years, the
cost of living increased in Madrid. The
city has grown to become the 22nd most expensive city in the world
in 2008, the highest any Spanish city has ever featured.
Although
Madrid is still at 80.7% of New York
, dramatic rises since 2005 show that Madrid could
easily be challenging the cities higher above the ranks very
soon.
Demographics
| Year |
Municipality |
Community |
% |
| 1897 |
542,739 |
730,807 |
74.27 |
| 1900 |
575,675 |
773,011 |
74.47 |
| 1910 |
614,322 |
831,254 |
73.90 |
| 1920 |
823,711 |
1,048,908 |
78.53 |
| 1930 |
1,041,767 |
1,290,445 |
80.73 |
| 1940 |
1,322,835 |
1,574,134 |
84.04 |
| 1950 |
1,553,338 |
1,823,418 |
85.19 |
| 1960 |
2,177,123 |
2,510,217 |
86.73 |
| 1970 |
3,120,941 |
3,761,348 |
82.97 |
| 1981 |
3,158,818 |
4,686,895 |
67.40 |
| 1991 |
3,010,492 |
4,647,555 |
64.78 |
| 2001 |
2,938,723 |
5,423,384 |
54.19 |
| 2005 |
3,155,359 |
5,964,143 |
52.90 |
| 2006 |
3,128,600 |
6,008,183 |
52.07 |
| 2007 |
3,132,463 |
6,081,689 |
51.51 |
| 2008 |
3,213,271 |
6,271,638 |
51.23 |
| Source: INE |
The population of Madrid generally increased from when the city
became the national capital in the mid-16th century and stabilised
at about 3 million from the 1970s.
From around 1970 until the mid 1990s, the city's population
dropped. This phenomenon, which also affected other European
cities, was caused in part by the growth of satellite suburbs at
the expense of the downtown. Another reason might have been the
slowdown in the rate of growth of the European economy.
The demographic
boom accelerated
in the late 1990s and early 2000s due to international immigration,
in response to a strong pick-up in Spanish
economic growth. For example, according to
census data, the population of the city grew by 271,856 between
2001 and 2005.
As the capital city of Spain, the city has attracted many
immigrants from around the world. While more than 83.8% of the
inhabitants are
Spaniards, there are many
recent immigrants who come from
Latin
America, Europe, Asia,
North Africa
and
West Africa representing 16.2% as of
2007.
The ten
largest immigrant groups include: Ecuadorian
: 104,184, Romanian:
52,875, Bolivian
: 44,044, Colombian
: 35,971, Peruvian
: 35,083, Chinese:
34,666, Moroccan
: 32,498, Dominican
: 19,602, Brazilian
: 14,583, and Paraguayan
: 14,308. There are also important communities of
Filipinos
, Equatorial Guineans
, Bulgarians
, Indians
, Italians
, Argentines
, French
, Senegalese
and Polish
.
Government
See also: List of mayors of Madrid
Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón
The new democracy heralded a successful movement towards increased
autonomy for the
regions of Spain, considered as
autonomous regions,
under the umbrella of Spain.
The
City Council consists of 57
councilors, one of them being the Mayor, currently
Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Jiménez.
The Mayor presides over the Council. In the 2007 regional an local
elections, the conservative
Popular Party obtained 34 seats, the
Spanish Socialist
Workers' Party (PSOE) obtained 18, and
United Left obtained 5.
The Plenary of the Council, is the body of
political representation of the
citizens in the
municipal
government. Some of its attributions are: fiscal matters, the
election and deposition of the Mayor, the approval and modification
of decrees and regulations, the approval of budgets, the agreements
related to the limits and alteration of the municipal term, the
services management, the participation in supramunicipal
organizations, etc.
Madrid has tended to be a stronghold of the
People's Party, which has controlled
the city's mayoralty since 1989.
Culture
Madrid is one of Spain's most popular destinations and is renowned
for its large quantity of cultural attractions.
Galleries
Madrid is considered one of the top European destinations
concerning art museums. Best known is the
Golden Triangle of
Art, located along the
Paseo del
Prado and comprising three museums.
The most famous one
is the Prado
Museum
, the most popular Golden Triangle of Art
member known for such highlights as Diego Velázquez's Las Meninas and Francisco de Goya's La maja vestida and La maja desnuda. The other two museums
are the Thyssen
Bornemisza Museum
, established from a mixed private collection, and
the Reina Sofia Museum
. This is where
Pablo Picasso's
Guernica hangs, returning to Spain
from New York after more than two decades.
Museums
Nightlife
_04.jpg/218px-Calle_de_Alcal%C3%A1_(Madrid)_04.jpg)
The Gran Vía and Alcalá Street
Madrid is notable for its nightlife and
night
clubs. On weekends, Madrilenian youth are known for dancing all
night long, stopping only to go home, take a shower, shave (or
not), and go to work.
What is also popular is the practice of meeting in parks or streets
with friends and drinking alcohol together (this is called
'
botellón', from 'botella', bottle),
but in recent years, drinking in the street is punished with a fine
and now young
madrileños drink together all around the
city instead of in better-known places. Many places host bands
(concerts in Madrid). Nightlife and young cultural awakening
flourished after the death of
Franco, especially during the 80s while
Madrid's mayor
Enrique Tierno
Galván (
PSOE) was in office, at this time
is well-known the cultural movement called
la movida and it initially gathered around
Plaza del Dos de Mayo.
Nowadays, the
Malasaña area is known
for its
alternative scene. Some of
the most popular night destinations include the neighbourhoods of:
Bilbao, Tribunal, Alonso Martinez or Moncloa, together with Puerta
del Sol area (including Opera and Gran Via, both adjacent to the
popular square) and Huertas (barrio de Las Letras), destinations
which are also filled with tourists day and night.
The district of
Chueca
has also
become a hot spot in the Madrilenian night
life.
Classical music and opera
The
Auditorio
Nacional de Música
is the main venue for classical music concerts in
Madrid, is home to the Spanish National Orchestra, the
Chamartín Symphony
Orchestra and the venue for the symphonic concerts of the
Community of Madrid
Orchestra and the Madrid
Symphony Orchestra. It is also the principal venue for
orchestras on tour playing in Madrid. The performs
RTVE Symphony Orchestra at the
Teatro Monumental.
The
Teatro
Real is the main opera house in Madrid and its resident
orchestra is the Madrid
Symphony Orchestra. The
Teatro de la Zarzuela is mainly
devoted to
Zarzuela (the Spanish
traditional musical theatre genre), as well as
operetta and
recitals. The
resident orchestra of the theatre is the
Community of Madrid
Orchestra.
Other
concert venues for classical music are the Fundación Joan March and
the Auditorio 400, devoted to contemporary music.
Bullfighting
Madrid
hosts the largest Plaza de Toros (bullring) in Spain, Las Ventas
, established in 1929. Las Ventas is
considered by many to be the world center of bullfighting and has a
seating capacity of almost 25,000.
Madrid's bullfighting season begins in March and ends in October.
Bullfights are held every day during the festivities of
San Isidro (Madrid's
patron saint) from the middle of March to the
middle of June, and every Sunday, and
public
holiday, the rest of the season. The style of the plaza is
Neo
mudéjar. Las Ventas also hosts music
concerts and other events outside of the bullfighting season.
Local festivities
- May 15, San Isidro Labrador
(Madrid's patron saint).
- June 13, San Antonio de la Florida.
- July 16-25, Virgen del Carmen festivities (Patron saint of the
sea).
- August 6-14, Virgen de la Paloma festivities (Madrid's patron
saint)
- August 7, San Cayetano (Cascorro neighbourhood's patron
saint).
- August 10, San Lorenzo (Lavapiés neighbourhood's patron
saint).
- November 9, Virgen de la Almudena festivities (Madrid's patron
saint).
Sport
Madrid is
home to Real Madrid, who play in
the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
. Their supporters are referred to as
vikingos, Vikings, or, more commonly,
merengues,
meringues. Real Madrid is one of the most prestigious
football clubs in the world, having won 9
European Cups. Their hometown
rivals,
Atlético Madrid, are
also well supported in the city, and their supporters are called
los sufridores, the sufferers. The players are referred to
as
colchoneros, mattresses, in reference to the teams red
& white jerseys having been determined by mattress material
being the cheapest at the time of the club's formation. Madrid's
contribution to the sport is further noticed by the fact that it
hosted the
1982 FIFA World Cup
final.
Along with Barcelona, Glasgow
and Lisbon
Madrid is
one of four cities in Europe to contain two
UEFA 5-star stadia: Real Madrid's
Santiago
Bernabéu and Atlético Madrid's Vicente
Calderón
both meet the criteria.
Some of Spain's top footballers are Madrileños, including Real
Madrid legend
Emilio
Butragueño and co (
La Quinta
del Buitre, "The Vulture's Cohort"), Liverpool's
Pepe Reina and
Fernando Torres and Real Madrid veterans
Raúl González and
Iker Casillas.
Madrid also boasts a prominent place in Spanish
basketball, with two clubs in the country's
top-level
Liga ACB.
Real's basketball section has won the
European
championship more times than any other club, and is also a
fixture in the modern version of that competition, the
Euroleague.
The city
is also host to the Circuito Permanente Del
Jarama
, a motorsport race
circuit which formerly hosted the Formula
One Spanish
Grand Prix
. Historically, the city serves as the last
stage of the Vuelta a España
cyclist classic in the same way as Paris does in
the Tour de France.
Skiing is possible in the nearby mountains of the
Sierra de
Guadarrama
, where the ski resorts
of Valdesqui and Navacerrada are located.
The city
bid for hosting the 1972 Summer
Olympics, the 2012 Summer
Olympics, and the 2016 Summer
Olympics, which were lost to Munich
, London, and
Rio de
Janeiro
respectively.
Education
State
Education in Spain is free,
and compulsory from 6 to 16 years. The current
education system is called LOGSE (Ley de
Ordenación General del Sistema Educativo).
Universities
Madrid is home to a large number of public and
private universities. The
Autonomous University of
Madrid is the number one ranked
public university in Spain , and was
instituted under the leadership of the physicist,
Nicolás Cabrera.
Known simply as
la Autónoma in Madrid, its main site is the Cantoblanco
Campus, situated to the northeast of the capital (M-607) and close
to the municipal areas of Madrid, namely Alcobendas, San Sebastián de los Reyes, Tres
Cantos and Colmenar Viejo.
Another
university is the Complutense University of
Madrid
founded in 1293, which is one of the oldest
universities in the world. It has 10,000 staff members and a
student population of 117,000. It is located on two campuses, in
the university quarter Ciudad Universitaria at Moncloa in Madrid,
and in Somosaguas.
Other
universities in Madrid: Universidad Carlos III de
Madrid (public), Technical University of
Madrid (public), Universidad Pontificia
Comillas
(private), Rey Juan Carlos University
(public), Universidad Alfonso X, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija,
Universidad Camilo José Cela, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria,
Universidad Europea de
Madrid, Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca Campus de Madrid,
Saint Louis University Madrid Campus and Universidad San Pablo CEU
(all of them private).
Madrid is also home to the
Escuela
Superior de Música Reina Sofía, the
Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de
Madrid and many other private educational institutions.
Business Schools
IE
Business School
(formerly Instituto de Empresa) has its main campus
on the border of the Chamartín and Salamanca districts of
Madrid. IE Business School recently ranked #1 in WSJ's 2009
rankings for Best MBA Programs under 2 years.
It scored ahead of
usual stalwarts, INSEAD and IMD
, giving it top billing amongst International MBA
programs. Although based in Barcelona, both IESE
Business School
and ESADE Business School
also have Madrid campuses. These three
schools are the top-ranked
business
schools in Spain, consistently rank among the top 20 business
schools globally, and offer
MBA programs (in
English or Spanish) as well as other business degrees. Other Madrid
universities that have MBA programs include:
Transport
Air
Madrid Barajas Airport (T4
Station)
Madrid is
served by Barajas
Airport. Barajas is the main
hub of
Iberia
Airlines. It consequently serves as the main gateway to the
Iberian peninsula from Europe, America and the rest of the world.
Current passenger volumes range upwards of 52 million passengers
per year, putting it in the
top
20 busiest airports in the world. Given annual increases close
to 10%, a new fourth terminal has been constructed. It has
significantly reduced delays and doubled the capacity of the
airport to more than 70 million passengers per year. Two additional
runways have also been constructed, making Barajas a fully
operational four-runway airport.
The
Councillor of Transports of the Community of Madrid, Manuel Lamela, announced in 2007 that the city
will also be served by two new airports which are expected to be
fully operative in 2016, first of them will be located in Campo
Real, it will be initially be used for cargo flights, but also as
hub for low-cost carriers, and the second one, expected to be built
between the two municipalities of El Álamo and Navalcarnero
, which will only take over the routes operating in
Cuatro
Vientos Airport
National Rail
Madrid Metro Map
Spain's
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
in the south and Chamartín
in the north.
The most important project in the next decade is the Spanish high
speed rail network, Alta Velocidad Española
AVE.
Currently, an ambitious plan includes the construction of a 7,000
kilometre (4,350
mi) network, centered 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. As of 2008, AVE high-speed trains link Atocha station to
Seville
, Málaga
and Toledo in the south
and to Zaragoza, Lleida
, Tarragona
and Barcelona in the east. AVE trains also arrive
from Valladolid and Segovia
.
RENFE offers:
Metro
A modern metro train (type
8000).
Serving a population of some four million, the
Madrid Metro is one of the most extensive and
fastest-growing
metro networks in the
world. With the addition of a loop serving suburbs to Madrid's
south-west "Metrosur", it is now the second largest metro system in
Western Europe, second only to
London's
Underground. In 2007
Madrid's metro system was expanded and it currently runs over 283
kilometers (176 miles) of line. The province of Madrid is also
served by an extensive
commuter rail
network of 370 kilometers (230 miles) called
Cercanías.
International relations
Twin towns
Madrid is
twinned with:
- Abu
Dhabi
, United Arab Emirates
- Asunción
, Paraguay
- Beijing, China
(since 1985)
- Belgrade
, Serbia
- Berlin, Germany
- Brussels
, Belgium
- Bogotá
, Colombia
- Bordeaux
, France
- Buenos Aires
, Argentina
- Caracas
, Venezuela
- Guatemala City
, Guatemala
- Havana
, Cuba
- La
Paz
, Bolivia
- Lima
, Peru
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Managua
, Nicaragua
- Manila
, Philippines
- Mexico City
, Mexico
- Montevideo
, Uruguay
- Moscow, Russia
- New York City
, USA
- Nouakchott
, Mauritania
- Quito
, Ecuador
- Rabat
, Morocco
- Rio De Janeiro
, Brazil
- San Salvador
, El
Salvador
- Santo Domingo
, Dominican Republic
- Sarajevo
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Sofia
, Bulgaria
- Tegucigalpa
, Honduras
- Tirana
, Albania
- Tripoli
, Libya
- Warsaw
, Poland
Sister cities
Other historic buildings
File:Basílica Pontificia de San Miguel
(Madrid) 01.jpg|St. Michael's Basilica
.File:Iglesia Parroquial de Santa Bárbara
(Madrid) 01.jpg|Convent of the Salesas
Reales
.File:Catedral de la Almudena from Casa de
Campo.jpg|Almudena
Cathedral
.File:Museo del Prado-front.JPG|Principal
facade of the Prado
Museum
.File:Basílica de San Francisco el Grande
(Madrid) 05.jpg|San Francisco el Grande Basilica,
Madrid
.File:Casa de la Villa (Madrid) 02.jpg|Casa
de la Villa.File:Plaza de Oriente (Madrid) 11.jpg|Monarchs´s
statues in the
Plaza de
Oriente.
File:Puerta de Alcalá 2.jpg|Puerta
de Alcalá
.File:Palacio de El Pardo fachada
lateral.jpg|Royal Palace of El Pardo
.File:Casa Gallardo (Madrid) 01.jpg|Casa
Gallardo.
File:Iglesia de San Ginés (Madrid)
02.jpg|San
Ginés Church
.File:Iglesia de San Jerónimo el Real
(Madrid) 03.jpg|
San Jerónimo
el Real.File:Iglesia de las Calatravas (Madrid) 03.jpg|Las
Calatravas
Church.File:Real_Compañía_Asturiana_de_Minas_(Madrid)_01.jpg|Real
Compañía Asturiana de Minas.File:Ministerio de Agricultura (Madrid)
02.jpg|View of the (now) Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries
and Food headquarters.File:Iglesia de San Manuel y San Benito
(Madrid) 07.jpg|San Manuel y San Benito Church.File:Iglesia de San
Francisco de Sales (Madrid) 01.jpg|San Francisco de Sales
Church.File:Convento de las Salesas Reales (Madrid)
01.jpg|Collegate Church of Santa Bárbara.File:Ministerio del Aire
(Madrid) 02.jpg|
Spanish Air Force
Headquarters.File:Hospital de Maudes (Madrid) 01.jpg|Hospital de
Maudes.
Notes
- http://www.ine.es/ Instituto
Nacional de Estadística (National Statistics Institute)
- http://elmadridmedieval.jmcastellanos.com/ Pre-historic times
in Madrid (Spanish Only)
- Wunderground Forecast for Spain
- Foreign Population in the city of madrid. A study
by the Dirección General de Estadística of the municipality of
Madrid
- Pleno de Madrid (Spanish Only)
- Mondosonoro - Bandas en Madrid
- History of the Teatro de la
Zarzuela
- Teatro de la Zarzuela - Timeout
Madrid
- Sistema Educativo LOE by the Spanish Ministry of
Education(Spanish Only)
- Preliminary Air Traffic Results for 2006 from
Airports Council International
See also
External links
_06.jpg/180px-Jardines_de_Sabatini_(Madrid)_06.jpg)
_01.jpg/180px-Edificio_Metr%C3%B3polis_(Madrid)_01.jpg)
_12.jpg/180px-Fuente_de_Cibeles_(Madrid)_12.jpg)
_16.jpg/200px-Calle_de_Alcal%C3%A1_(Madrid)_16.jpg)
_01.jpg/180px-AZCA_(Madrid)_01.jpg)
_04.jpg/180px-Gran_V%C3%ADa_(Madrid)_04.jpg)
_25.jpg/180px-Gran_V%C3%ADa_(Madrid)_25.jpg)
(in Spanish only).
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