Famous places to visit in Madrid
The Puerta de Toledo
The pretentious triumphal arch, Puerta de Toledo , was intended to celebrate the glorious achievements of Joseph Bonaparte, but because of the long construction period (1812-27), it became instead a blatant symbol for Fernando VII's rule.
More things to do Madrid
If you follow the natural gradient in the direction of the Rio Manzanares for about 500m (550yds), you will come across the Puente de Toledo , a stone bridge (1719-32) which bears the unmistakable imprint of Pedro de Ribera, the master of Madrid Baroque. Nine arches span the river and a city motorway. In between are buttresses forming semi-circular balconies.
Lavishly-decorated canopies with coats of arms and sculptures of the city's patron saint, San Isidro, and his wife mark the middle of the crossing. In 1830 Javier de Mariategui added the obelisks to both sides. Closed to traffic for years now, the bridge is very popular with strollers on summer evenings. Towering above the righthand bank of the river is a modern shrine, the black and red Estadio Vicente Estadio Calderon, where one of the top Madrid teams, Atletico Madrid, play football.
From the southern bank of the Manzanares river you can either take a 20 minute walk along the rather monotonous Paseo Quince de Mayo footpath or else take a taxi to the Cementerio de San Isidro. Dating from 1811, it is Madrid's largest cemetery. The grand mausoleums built to immortalise Madrid's aristocrats often match in pomp and splendour the fine mansions these dignitaries once inhabited. One or two local celebrities occupy tranquil spots, e.g. city historian Ramon de Mesonero Romanos or, in the neighbouring Cementerio de San Justo, the poet, Mariano Jose de Larra, and composer, Federico Chueca. The cemeteries offer fine views over the river and Madrid's western suburbs. Not far from the cemeteries stands the Ermita de San Isidro del Campo, on 15 May each year the destination for pilgrims in exuberant holiday mood. This Iomerfa is portrayed on some of Goya's paintings. Near the church is a spring, whose waters are said to have miracleworking powers. It was discovered by San Isidro while ploughing the soil. The best way to return to the Old Town is by taxi, but you might prefer to make an interesting detour via Puente de Segovia.
Places of interest Madrid
One look at a street map of Madrid will be enough to spot the main feature of the Salamanca quarter. Symmetrical residential blocks, a network of roads in a strict chequer-board pattern quite a contrast to the cramped conditions in the Lavapies or Morerfa quarters. Planned on the drawing board in the middle of the 19th century to house the aristocracy and the middle classes, Salamanca has retained its elegance.
Designer shops, expensive nightclubs and top-name fashion boutiques have taken over at street level. But art and culture are still very much in favour in the Barrio de Salamanca. The private galleries, auction houses, art foundations and special collections are well worth a tour.
If you are in Madrid for the weekend, set aside some time to visit Madrid's classical Retiro Park on Sunday - it is like a fairground.As you make your way from the Old Town to the eastern part of the new town, in Calle de Alcala you will find the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (Tuesday to Friday 9am7pm, Saturday to Monday 9am2.30pm; free admission on Sunday), housed in a mansion designed by Jose Benito Churriguera (1725).
Although the Royal Academy of Fine Arts is somewhat eclipsed by the nearby Prado, it can nevertheless count among its treasures some first class works by Goya, such as his self-portrait of 1815, Madhouse and Burial of the Sardine (Room 2). Fine paintings of monks by Zurbaran are displayed in Room 3, while in Room 4 hang portraits of Felipe IV and Mariana de Austria by Velazquez. lmportant works by Rubens and van Dyck can be seen in Room 8, together with the bizarre Spring Allegory by the eccentric Milanese artist, Giuseppe Arcimboldo.
Further east, squeezed between the smart business premises and banks on Calle de Alcala, most of which date from the early 20th century, stands Iglesia de las CaIatravas . Originally dating from 1678 and designed by the Augustinian monk, Fray Lorenzo de San Nicolas, this baroque domed church was converted 200 years later to the north Italian Renaissance style. The church had previously been used as a base for the Calatrava Order of Knights, who during the reconquista had been fanatical opponents of the infidels. The impressive Baroque altarpiece is regarded as one of Jose Benito Churriguera's finest works.
Plaza de la Cibeles Madrid
Where Calle de Alcala and the broad Paseo del Prado meet is the often-congested square, Plaza de la Cibeles. At its centre stands the Cibeles Fountain, designed in the 18th century by Francesco Gutierrez. Cybele, the Greco-Roman goddess of nature and an ancient symbol of fertility from Asia Minor, is just one of the symbols for Madrid. Several grand buildings form the background for her chariot hauled by two lions.
The giant Palacio de las Comunicaciones was completed in 1917 to plans by Antonio Palacios. Madrileños refer to it ironically as Nuestra Señora de las Comunicaciones. It is not another of Madrid's churches, but the headquarters of Spain's postal service. The impressive neo-Renaissance-style building opposite houses the Banco de Espana. No less extravagant is the Palacio de Linares, which was built in the 18th century for an aristocratic family. Since 1992, the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's voyage of discovery, it has housed the Spanish Latin American Cultural Institute, Casa de America. The elegant rooms and staircase made from the finest Carrara marble are open to the public.
On the other side of Plaza de la Cibeles stands the well-proportioned Puerta de Alcala triumphal arch. It was created in 1778 by Francisco Sabatini in Carlos Ill's preferred classical style. To the right of the gateway stands the main entrance to the Parque del Retiro. This 120 hectare (300 acre) oasis in the middle of the city once surrounded Felipe IV's summer residence, of which only a few parts have survived . In the tradition of court entertainment from that era, every weekend musicians, magicians, mime artists and puppeteers perform in the park. On summer Sundays, the street theatre performers draw huge crowds. Games of chess and dominoes are played in the shade of old trees, while the city orchestra performs a midday concert in the music pavilion.
A popular place for sunbathing and relaxing is the Monumento a Alfonso XII by the banks of the artificial lake. The semi-circular colonnade with a huge equestrian statue of the king was unveiled in 1922. Two more attractive spots are the 19th century exhibition halls, Palacio de Velazquez and Palacio de Crista!. The latter, a graceful glass palace, is now part of the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia and is currently being renovated. At the southern end of Paseo Republica de Cuba is the only monument a town has ver dedicated to the devil. The figure on the Fuente del Angel Caido depicts the expulsion of the fallen angel, Lucifer, from the Garden of Eden a neo-Baroque rendering by the sculptor, Ricardo Bellver (1885).
When madrileños gather for refreshments in one of the park's open-air cafes, the favoured drinks are granizado (crushed ice with lemon syrup) or horchata de chulas (a milky drink made with tiger nuts).
The National Archaeological Museum Madrid
The collection, established on the instructions of Isabel II, and housed in this building since 1895, consists of many priceless finds from all eras of Iberian history. In the garden to the left of the entrance is a faithful replica of the Altamira cave in Cantabria, northern Spain. The walls are covered with rock paintings from this 'Stone Age Sistine Chapel'. Prehistoric exhibits displayed in the bsement of the main block document the many cultural links between Spain, North Africa, Greece and other early civilisations from around the Mediterranean basin. The ground floor continues the journey through Spain's past. One highlight of the archaeological collection is the famous Celto-Iberian bust of the Dama de Elche (about 475BC) in Room 20. Researchers are still not sure if the figure with the ornate head wear and inscrutable smile, a high priestess, represents the goddess of death or eternal lIfe.
A cavity at the rear of the statue was used for retaInIng the ashes of dead princes.Some fine floor mosaics and a sundial from the Cadiz region and dating from the Roman era can be seen in Rooms 21 to 26. The Treasure of Guarrazar consists of a Visigoth gold crown, excavated near Toledo during the 19th century (Room 29). Impressive relics, such as a richly decorated arch from the Aljaferia Palace in Zaragoza, were left by the Moors, who expelled the Visigoths in the 8th century. The reconquista period is represented by an ivory crucifix belonging to the Castilian royal couple, Fernando I and Sanchez (11th century). There are also Romanesque and Gothic altars, column capitals and other pieces of Christian sacred art (Rooms 32 to 35).
The oldest part of the Salamanca quarter (1864-71) extends along Calle de Serrano from the Archaeological Museum to Calle Don Ramon de la Cruz. The driving force behind the ensanche, the planned expansion of the city, was the aristocratic banker and businessman, Marques Jose de Salamanca y Mayo. Sadly, his project ended in financial disaster in 1867. Initially, there were not enough takers for his luxury apartments, all of which were fitted with flushing lavatories a new phenomenon in Madrid at the time. These upmarket residences were all built to the same plan, as can be seen clearly in Calle de Serrano Nos 18 to 62. The architect Carlos Lecumberri arranged the stately rectangular blocks around a garden patio.
The Jardines del Descubrimiento at the southeast corner of the Plaza de Colon recall Christopher Columbus's voyages of discovery. Four huge stone blocks from the studio of Joaquin Vaquero (1977) represent the caravels in which the explorer set off in 1492 for the Indies. Mounted on a neo-Gothic column (1885), the Genoese aristocrat surveys the square. On its west side, hidden behind a cascade of water, is the Centro Cultural de la Villa, where an excellent programme of plays, concerts and exhibitions are staged.
Further south by the Paseo the Biblioteca Nacional adjoins the Archaeological Museum. The statues at the entrance depict Cervantes, Lope de Vega and Alfonso the Wise. In the Museo del Libro next door about 500 of the 3.5 million books, manuscripts and drawings can be viewed interactively on screens.
Also inseparably linked with Spanish literary history is the Cafe Gijon. Situated on the other side of the road, it was opened in 1888. Many of Madrid's intellectuals, from Vallecian to Dali and Bunuel, met here to exchange ideas. Until his financial ruin, the Marques de Salamanca lived in the neo-Renaissance palace opposite. It is now the headquarters of the Banco Argentaria.
If you walk northwards from Plaza de Colon past the elegant shop windows on Calle de Serrano, it is worth paying a visit to the Teatriz in Calle de Hermosilla. Top desiner Philippe Starck was invited to give the former Teatro Beatriz at No. 15 a new interior. The restaurant and tapas bar now extends across the former stage and the stalls to form a dramatic post-modern complex.
A striking example of the eclectic tastes of the early 20th century can be seen in the Byzantine/Moorish-style Iglesia Evangelica de San Jorge. Architect Agustin Ortiz de Villajos was given an equally free hand when designing Iglesia San Andres de los Flamencos (1884). The name of the church on Calle Claudio Coello recalls a hostel for Flemish pilgrims, which was situated here during the 17th century. Of particular interest inside is the St Andrew the Martyr, which is attributed to Peter Paul Rubens.
Expensive brand names from Chanel to Versace grace Calle de Jose Ortega y Gasset. Explore the garden of this renowned cultural foundation, set up in 1955 by the banker Juan March, and you will encounter sculptures by Eduardo Chillida and Eusebio Sempere. The Belgian Embassy oppo site occupies one of the quarter's finest mansions, the Palacio Rafal (1919). Calle de Juan Bravo will take you back to Calle de Serrano, passing the French neo-Baroque Palacio Amboage (1917; now the Italian Embassy) set in a spacious garden.
Museo Lazaro Galdiano Madrid
This museum in its own way is just as unconventional. Amassed in the four-storey Palacio Parque Florido, which the writer and obsessive collector Jose Lazaro Galdiano built at the end of the 19th century, is a huge collection of art treasures, ranging from clocks, miniatures, fans and jewellery to pottery, guns and furniture. Among the highlights are the paintings on the second floor, and a series of other works by Goya, a Rose Miracle by Zurbaran, the Seven Deadly Sins by Hieronymus Bosch, a Head oj Christ attributed to Leonardo da Vinci as well as paintings by Murillo, Ribera, EI Greco and may more. There are even some works by the Engl ish painters, John Constable, Thomas Gainsborough and William Turner.
The pretentious triumphal arch, Puerta de Toledo , was intended to celebrate the glorious achievements of Joseph Bonaparte, but because of the long construction period (1812-27), it became instead a blatant symbol for Fernando VII's rule.
More things to do Madrid
If you follow the natural gradient in the direction of the Rio Manzanares for about 500m (550yds), you will come across the Puente de Toledo , a stone bridge (1719-32) which bears the unmistakable imprint of Pedro de Ribera, the master of Madrid Baroque. Nine arches span the river and a city motorway. In between are buttresses forming semi-circular balconies.
Lavishly-decorated canopies with coats of arms and sculptures of the city's patron saint, San Isidro, and his wife mark the middle of the crossing. In 1830 Javier de Mariategui added the obelisks to both sides. Closed to traffic for years now, the bridge is very popular with strollers on summer evenings. Towering above the righthand bank of the river is a modern shrine, the black and red Estadio Vicente Estadio Calderon, where one of the top Madrid teams, Atletico Madrid, play football.
From the southern bank of the Manzanares river you can either take a 20 minute walk along the rather monotonous Paseo Quince de Mayo footpath or else take a taxi to the Cementerio de San Isidro. Dating from 1811, it is Madrid's largest cemetery. The grand mausoleums built to immortalise Madrid's aristocrats often match in pomp and splendour the fine mansions these dignitaries once inhabited. One or two local celebrities occupy tranquil spots, e.g. city historian Ramon de Mesonero Romanos or, in the neighbouring Cementerio de San Justo, the poet, Mariano Jose de Larra, and composer, Federico Chueca. The cemeteries offer fine views over the river and Madrid's western suburbs. Not far from the cemeteries stands the Ermita de San Isidro del Campo, on 15 May each year the destination for pilgrims in exuberant holiday mood. This Iomerfa is portrayed on some of Goya's paintings. Near the church is a spring, whose waters are said to have miracleworking powers. It was discovered by San Isidro while ploughing the soil. The best way to return to the Old Town is by taxi, but you might prefer to make an interesting detour via Puente de Segovia.
Places of interest Madrid
One look at a street map of Madrid will be enough to spot the main feature of the Salamanca quarter. Symmetrical residential blocks, a network of roads in a strict chequer-board pattern quite a contrast to the cramped conditions in the Lavapies or Morerfa quarters. Planned on the drawing board in the middle of the 19th century to house the aristocracy and the middle classes, Salamanca has retained its elegance.
Designer shops, expensive nightclubs and top-name fashion boutiques have taken over at street level. But art and culture are still very much in favour in the Barrio de Salamanca. The private galleries, auction houses, art foundations and special collections are well worth a tour.
If you are in Madrid for the weekend, set aside some time to visit Madrid's classical Retiro Park on Sunday - it is like a fairground.As you make your way from the Old Town to the eastern part of the new town, in Calle de Alcala you will find the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando (Tuesday to Friday 9am7pm, Saturday to Monday 9am2.30pm; free admission on Sunday), housed in a mansion designed by Jose Benito Churriguera (1725).
Although the Royal Academy of Fine Arts is somewhat eclipsed by the nearby Prado, it can nevertheless count among its treasures some first class works by Goya, such as his self-portrait of 1815, Madhouse and Burial of the Sardine (Room 2). Fine paintings of monks by Zurbaran are displayed in Room 3, while in Room 4 hang portraits of Felipe IV and Mariana de Austria by Velazquez. lmportant works by Rubens and van Dyck can be seen in Room 8, together with the bizarre Spring Allegory by the eccentric Milanese artist, Giuseppe Arcimboldo.
Further east, squeezed between the smart business premises and banks on Calle de Alcala, most of which date from the early 20th century, stands Iglesia de las CaIatravas . Originally dating from 1678 and designed by the Augustinian monk, Fray Lorenzo de San Nicolas, this baroque domed church was converted 200 years later to the north Italian Renaissance style. The church had previously been used as a base for the Calatrava Order of Knights, who during the reconquista had been fanatical opponents of the infidels. The impressive Baroque altarpiece is regarded as one of Jose Benito Churriguera's finest works.
Plaza de la Cibeles Madrid
Where Calle de Alcala and the broad Paseo del Prado meet is the often-congested square, Plaza de la Cibeles. At its centre stands the Cibeles Fountain, designed in the 18th century by Francesco Gutierrez. Cybele, the Greco-Roman goddess of nature and an ancient symbol of fertility from Asia Minor, is just one of the symbols for Madrid. Several grand buildings form the background for her chariot hauled by two lions.
The giant Palacio de las Comunicaciones was completed in 1917 to plans by Antonio Palacios. Madrileños refer to it ironically as Nuestra Señora de las Comunicaciones. It is not another of Madrid's churches, but the headquarters of Spain's postal service. The impressive neo-Renaissance-style building opposite houses the Banco de Espana. No less extravagant is the Palacio de Linares, which was built in the 18th century for an aristocratic family. Since 1992, the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's voyage of discovery, it has housed the Spanish Latin American Cultural Institute, Casa de America. The elegant rooms and staircase made from the finest Carrara marble are open to the public.
On the other side of Plaza de la Cibeles stands the well-proportioned Puerta de Alcala triumphal arch. It was created in 1778 by Francisco Sabatini in Carlos Ill's preferred classical style. To the right of the gateway stands the main entrance to the Parque del Retiro. This 120 hectare (300 acre) oasis in the middle of the city once surrounded Felipe IV's summer residence, of which only a few parts have survived . In the tradition of court entertainment from that era, every weekend musicians, magicians, mime artists and puppeteers perform in the park. On summer Sundays, the street theatre performers draw huge crowds. Games of chess and dominoes are played in the shade of old trees, while the city orchestra performs a midday concert in the music pavilion.
A popular place for sunbathing and relaxing is the Monumento a Alfonso XII by the banks of the artificial lake. The semi-circular colonnade with a huge equestrian statue of the king was unveiled in 1922. Two more attractive spots are the 19th century exhibition halls, Palacio de Velazquez and Palacio de Crista!. The latter, a graceful glass palace, is now part of the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia and is currently being renovated. At the southern end of Paseo Republica de Cuba is the only monument a town has ver dedicated to the devil. The figure on the Fuente del Angel Caido depicts the expulsion of the fallen angel, Lucifer, from the Garden of Eden a neo-Baroque rendering by the sculptor, Ricardo Bellver (1885).
When madrileños gather for refreshments in one of the park's open-air cafes, the favoured drinks are granizado (crushed ice with lemon syrup) or horchata de chulas (a milky drink made with tiger nuts).
The National Archaeological Museum Madrid
The collection, established on the instructions of Isabel II, and housed in this building since 1895, consists of many priceless finds from all eras of Iberian history. In the garden to the left of the entrance is a faithful replica of the Altamira cave in Cantabria, northern Spain. The walls are covered with rock paintings from this 'Stone Age Sistine Chapel'. Prehistoric exhibits displayed in the bsement of the main block document the many cultural links between Spain, North Africa, Greece and other early civilisations from around the Mediterranean basin. The ground floor continues the journey through Spain's past. One highlight of the archaeological collection is the famous Celto-Iberian bust of the Dama de Elche (about 475BC) in Room 20. Researchers are still not sure if the figure with the ornate head wear and inscrutable smile, a high priestess, represents the goddess of death or eternal lIfe.
A cavity at the rear of the statue was used for retaInIng the ashes of dead princes.Some fine floor mosaics and a sundial from the Cadiz region and dating from the Roman era can be seen in Rooms 21 to 26. The Treasure of Guarrazar consists of a Visigoth gold crown, excavated near Toledo during the 19th century (Room 29). Impressive relics, such as a richly decorated arch from the Aljaferia Palace in Zaragoza, were left by the Moors, who expelled the Visigoths in the 8th century. The reconquista period is represented by an ivory crucifix belonging to the Castilian royal couple, Fernando I and Sanchez (11th century). There are also Romanesque and Gothic altars, column capitals and other pieces of Christian sacred art (Rooms 32 to 35).
The oldest part of the Salamanca quarter (1864-71) extends along Calle de Serrano from the Archaeological Museum to Calle Don Ramon de la Cruz. The driving force behind the ensanche, the planned expansion of the city, was the aristocratic banker and businessman, Marques Jose de Salamanca y Mayo. Sadly, his project ended in financial disaster in 1867. Initially, there were not enough takers for his luxury apartments, all of which were fitted with flushing lavatories a new phenomenon in Madrid at the time. These upmarket residences were all built to the same plan, as can be seen clearly in Calle de Serrano Nos 18 to 62. The architect Carlos Lecumberri arranged the stately rectangular blocks around a garden patio.
The Jardines del Descubrimiento at the southeast corner of the Plaza de Colon recall Christopher Columbus's voyages of discovery. Four huge stone blocks from the studio of Joaquin Vaquero (1977) represent the caravels in which the explorer set off in 1492 for the Indies. Mounted on a neo-Gothic column (1885), the Genoese aristocrat surveys the square. On its west side, hidden behind a cascade of water, is the Centro Cultural de la Villa, where an excellent programme of plays, concerts and exhibitions are staged.
Further south by the Paseo the Biblioteca Nacional adjoins the Archaeological Museum. The statues at the entrance depict Cervantes, Lope de Vega and Alfonso the Wise. In the Museo del Libro next door about 500 of the 3.5 million books, manuscripts and drawings can be viewed interactively on screens.
Also inseparably linked with Spanish literary history is the Cafe Gijon. Situated on the other side of the road, it was opened in 1888. Many of Madrid's intellectuals, from Vallecian to Dali and Bunuel, met here to exchange ideas. Until his financial ruin, the Marques de Salamanca lived in the neo-Renaissance palace opposite. It is now the headquarters of the Banco Argentaria.
If you walk northwards from Plaza de Colon past the elegant shop windows on Calle de Serrano, it is worth paying a visit to the Teatriz in Calle de Hermosilla. Top desiner Philippe Starck was invited to give the former Teatro Beatriz at No. 15 a new interior. The restaurant and tapas bar now extends across the former stage and the stalls to form a dramatic post-modern complex.
A striking example of the eclectic tastes of the early 20th century can be seen in the Byzantine/Moorish-style Iglesia Evangelica de San Jorge. Architect Agustin Ortiz de Villajos was given an equally free hand when designing Iglesia San Andres de los Flamencos (1884). The name of the church on Calle Claudio Coello recalls a hostel for Flemish pilgrims, which was situated here during the 17th century. Of particular interest inside is the St Andrew the Martyr, which is attributed to Peter Paul Rubens.
Expensive brand names from Chanel to Versace grace Calle de Jose Ortega y Gasset. Explore the garden of this renowned cultural foundation, set up in 1955 by the banker Juan March, and you will encounter sculptures by Eduardo Chillida and Eusebio Sempere. The Belgian Embassy oppo site occupies one of the quarter's finest mansions, the Palacio Rafal (1919). Calle de Juan Bravo will take you back to Calle de Serrano, passing the French neo-Baroque Palacio Amboage (1917; now the Italian Embassy) set in a spacious garden.
Museo Lazaro Galdiano Madrid
This museum in its own way is just as unconventional. Amassed in the four-storey Palacio Parque Florido, which the writer and obsessive collector Jose Lazaro Galdiano built at the end of the 19th century, is a huge collection of art treasures, ranging from clocks, miniatures, fans and jewellery to pottery, guns and furniture. Among the highlights are the paintings on the second floor, and a series of other works by Goya, a Rose Miracle by Zurbaran, the Seven Deadly Sins by Hieronymus Bosch, a Head oj Christ attributed to Leonardo da Vinci as well as paintings by Murillo, Ribera, EI Greco and may more. There are even some works by the Engl ish painters, John Constable, Thomas Gainsborough and William Turner.
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