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Madrid - History |
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SITUATED
on the 40th parallel (on the Castilian Meseta), Madrid occupies the
geographical center of the Iberian Peninsula. The city stands at a height
of 2,200 feet above sea level, its buildings rooted in the sandy soil of
some low hills. It is sufficient to say that the reproductions of its
luminous skies gave world fame to the best painter of all times: Velázquez.
The beautiful skies of Madrid have since been described as "Velasqueños".
Madrid
enjoys more cloudless days than almost any other city in Europe. The
average atmospheric pressure is 706 mm. The air is purified in the peaks
and pine groves of the nearby Guadarrama mountain range. Spring in Madrid
is a season of bright sunshine and cool breezes. In autumn there are those
clear blue Velázquez skies and the air is warm.
Over
the last ten or fifteen years Madrid has grown by leaps and bounds. The
population is now four million and the city spreads over an are of 607
square kilometres. There is much of great historical interest and some
things that are modern and of undoubted value. We have the Madrid of the
House of Austria, the Madrid of Bourbon Kinds, Goya's Madrid, the Madrid
of the Prado Museum, and the Madrid of the Romantics or Isabelline. There
is the commercial, financial and industrial Madrid as well as the
picturesque Madrid of the Rastro (a sort of flea market); the
Bull-fighting Madrid; the "Flamenco" Madrid with its singers,
dancers and guitarist; and the Madrid of antique dealers and artists. We
shall get to know them all in due course. Medieval
Madrid
14TH
AND 15TH CENTURIES: Puerta del Sol-Calle Mayor-Plaza de la Villa. There
are two buildings in the Plaza de la Villa dating from the Middle Ages:
the Casa (house) and the Torre (tower) de los Lujanes (15the century),
where King Francis I of France was held prisoner following the Battle of
Pavia. The building to the right of it with a Mudejar doorway if the
Hemeroteca Municipal, which contains more than 70.000 bound volumes of
newspapers printed in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is open to the
public from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Puerta
del Sol-Calle Mayor-Calle del Nuncio-Plaza del Marqués de Comillas.
Just beyond the Plaza de la Villa, to the right of the Calle Mayor, there
is an alley leading up to San Nicolás de los Servitas, the oldest
church in Madrid. It has a Moorish style tower, which evokes the days of
the Arab occupation. There is another interesting church to the left of
the Calle Mayor, beyond the Calle del Sacramento and the Calle del Nuncio:
the church of San Pedro el Real or el Viejo, the belltower of which shows
traces of the Mudejar style. Close by the Plaza del Marqués de
Comillas. Formerly known as the Plaza de la Paja, a square that was very
important in the Middle Ages. The Morería, or old Moorish Quarter,
spreads between this square, the Plaza de la Cruz Verde, El Alamillo and
the Ronda de Segovia, and ends up at the modern Viaduct. Madrid
under the Habsburgs
16TH
AND 17TH CENTURIES: Puerta del Sol-Plaza Mayor. The Madrid that evokes the
reign of the House of Austria is the first part to have achieved any
architectural importance. It is centered round the Plaza Mayor, built by
Philip III in 1619. There are nine arched gateways leading into this great
square which was the hub of life in Renaissance Madrid. The finest
building is the Casa de la Panadería ("Bakery"). In the
early days bulls were fought on horseback in this square, and tournaments
were held on one great occasion when five saints (St. Teresa, St.
Ignatius, St. Francis Xavier, St. Isidro and St. Philip Neri) were
simultaneously canonized. The square was also the scene of "autos de
fe", the public punishments imposed by the Inquisition, and Philip V,
Ferdinand VI and Charles IV were each proclaimed King there.
Puerta
del Sol-Plaza de las Descalzas Reales-Plaza de Oriente. Turning off the
Calle del Arenal to the right, up the Calle de San Martín, the
visitor will find the Plaza de las Descalzas. This little square owes its
name to the Convent founded there by Doña Juana de Austria,
daughter of the Empeor Charles V. The convent in question is now an
interesting museum. The Convent of La Encarnación, standing in the
Plaza of the same name, is also open to visitors, and was founded by the
wife of Philip III. The architect who built the church was Gómez de
Mora (1616). The equestrian statue of Philip IV to be seen in the middle
of the Plaza de Oriente is quite the finest piece of sculpture in Madrid.
It was cast in bronze by the Florentine sculptor Tacca, from a design by
Velázquez; it weights nine tons. Bourbon
Madrid
17TH
CENTURY: Puerta del Sol-Alcalá-Fuencarral-San Bernardo-Conde Duque-Puente
de Toledo. From the late 17th century until about 1735, the Spanish
Imperial or Renaissance style slipped into a period of decadence marked by
the appearance of such architects as Churriguera, Ribera, Moradillo and
others. Our first Bourbon itinerary is an introduction to Madrid's Baroque
architecture, of which the best examples are; the church of San José
in the Calle de Alcalá, the portal of the Hospicio in the Calle de
Fuencarral, the church of Montserrat in the Calle de San Bernardo, the
portal of the Conde Duque Barracks, and a splendid bridge, the Puerta de
Toledo over the Manzanares. Ribera and some of they finished by Moradillo
built them all. Sol-Alcalá.
This tour covers the neoclassical monuments, built during the reign of
Charles III, whose architects were Sabatini, Villanueva, and Ventura Rodríguez.
The building in the Puerta del Sol, which is commonly, known as Gobernación
(Ministry of the Interior) is an example of this particular style, and was
originally built as the Central Post Office. The tower with its famous
clock - as popular a feature with the people of Madrid as Big Ben is with
Londoners - was added in the 19th century. The imposing building on the
left of the entrance to the Calle Alcalá was once the Royal
Customs-House and now houses the offices of the Ministry of Finance or
Treasury. The next building up this street is the Royal Academy of San
Fernando, and a few yards beyond it, the Church of Calatravas. Further
down the Calle de Alcalá the visitor comes to the Fountain of
Cibeles, the Goddess of Fertility. This sculptural group by Michel
provides the subject for some of the most popular picture postcard views
of Madrid. Finally there is the Puerta de Alcalá, a monumental,
arched gateway built by the architects Sabatini and Michel in honour of
Charles III, in 1778.
Steps
lead up fro the Prado Museum towards the Retiro Park, past the church of
Los Jerónimos Reales. This 15th century monastery was considerably
restored during the 19th century. Here, in the Gothic nave, the heir to
the Spanish throne has traditionally received his title of Prince of
Asturias. The Casón del Buen Retiro and the War Museum, both
fragments of the old Buen Retiro Palace, are only a yard or two away, and
standing next to them is the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language. In the
Retiro Park, monumental and neoclassic statues of early kings and queens
of Spain flank the avenues. The Madrid observatory, built by Juan de
Villanueva en 1790, is situated on the San Blas hill inside the park
itself. Sol-Plaza
de Oriente-San Francisco-Princesa. The Royal Palace is undoubtedly the
finest example of Neoclassical architecture to be seen in Madrid. The
outside is in Italian style, and the interior very French. The Palace was
built over the site of the old Alcázar of the Austrias, destroyed
by fire in 1734. Sachetti drew up the ground plans, although Ventura Rodríguez
collaborated considerably in the final work. It is built of Guadarrama
granite and Colmenar limestone. On December 1st, 1764, thirty years after
the fire, King Charles III took up residence in a section of the Palace
for the first time. it is now considered one of the finest palaces in
Europe. Visitors may see: the grandiose staircase, its ceilings painted of
Giaquinto: the Hall of Halberdiers, hung with fine Flemish tapestries; the
Pillared Drawing-Room, with cellings by Giaquinto and many paintings and
works of art; the King's apartments - three rooms where Charles III first
resided: a little drawing-room, the Ante-Chamber and the Gasparini
Drawing-Room, the Porcelain Room with decorations and furniture all made
of famous Buen Retiro porcelain; the private apartments of the late King
Alphonso XIII and his Queen, preserved just as they left them; and
finally, the Throne Room, which has a magnificent ceiling painted by
Tiepolo (1764) and two bronze lions originally cast to decorate the old
Alcázar. The whole palace abounds with paintings and sculptures,
Rococo furniture, and Buen Retiro, Severs and Saxony porcelain. The Royal
Pharmacy is very interesting, particularly as it has been maintained in
its original state. The visitor should also make a point of seeing the
Armoury, the Museum of Carriages, the Exhibition of Gothic Tapestries, and
the Rooms of Queen María Cristina. The Cathedral of La Almudena is being built to the left of the palace and has a façade in the same neoclassical style as the latter. Following the Calle de Bailén across the Viaduct, which affords some of the finest views to be had from Old Madrid, we come to the Church of San Francisco el Grande. Goya, his brother-in-law Bayeu, Maella, and other 18th century painters decorated the interior of this church, which has a dome about 105 feet in diameter. For some years it was used as a Royal Pantheon. If we return along the Calle de Bailén and across the Plaza de España, we find ourselves in the Calle de Princesa. This street contains two fine buildings designed by Ventura Rodríguez: the Liria Palace, built as residence for the Duke of Alba in 1770, and the Parish Church of San Marcos, just up the Calle de San Leonardo Madrid
of the romantics 19TH
CENTURY. Puerta del Sol-Plaza de Isabel II-Plaza de la Marina Española-Puerta
de Toledo. The so-called Romantic or Isabelline architecture of Madrid
belongs to the first half of the 18th century. Or, better said, to the
thirty years, which separate the two civil wars known as "Carlist".
Certainly neither the public buildings nor the palace of this period
correspond to any one style. All the buildings of that period are mainly
influenced by previous styles. The Romanticera in Madrid is better
expressed in its furniture, decoration, handicrafts, literature, painting
and drama. One of the great buildings erected in the early 19th century
was the Teatro Real (Royal Theatre), in the Plaza de Oriente. It was
completed in time to be opened, by order of Naváez, on the feast
day of St. Elizabeth in 1850. All the great opera singers of those days,
from Adlina Patti to Gayarre, were heard in this theater. The old Senate
and a Monument to Cánovas, who restored the Bourbon dynasty to the
Spanish throne, can be seen in the neighboring square, the Plaza de la
Marina Española. The Puerta de Toledo, in the middle of the square
of the same name, and erected for King Ferdinando CII, is a further
example of a typical period monument. Puerta
del Sol-Carrera de San Jerónimo-Felipe IV-Plaza de la
Lealtad-Cibeles-Recoletos. Another fine Isabelline building is the "Palacio
del Congreso". If we go along the Paseo del Prado we reach the Calle
de Felipe IV where the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language is situated.
Just off the Paseo del Prado on the left side of the Plaza de la Lealtad
there is a Monument to the Heroes of 2 May, the leaders of the Spanish
uprising against Bonaparte. Beyond is the Bolsa or Stock Exchange, built
in the style of a Greek temple towards the end of the las century. The
imposing building on the left corner of the Paseo facing the Cibeles
fountain is the Bank of Spain; on the right of the Paseo we have the
Headquarters of the Navy and the General Post Office buildings. The Banco
Hipotecario, in the Paseo de Recoletos was once the mansion of the Marquis
of Salamanca, who founded the district which bears his name. This tour
ends with the most important building constructed in the days of Queen
Isabella II: the Palace of Bibliotecas y Museos, opened in 1892 to
commemorate the fourth centenary of the Discovery of America. It is still,
to this day, one of the most magnificent buildings in Madrid. It houses
the Archaelogical Museum, the National Library and Art Galleries. Contemporary
Madrid
Atocha-Prado-Alcalá-Gran
Vía-Plaza de España-Moncloa-Ciudad Universitaria-Paseo de la
Castellana, Madrid has undergone countless changes over the last fifty
years, not only in the extension of its buildings, but also in its way of
life. Prior to the "Gay Twenties" Madrid was a Castilian town
both in appearance and in its customs. But, since the 1914-18 wars, luxury
architecture began an uncertain style. During the last years, Madrid has
been suffering from a continual growing crisis. We will mention a few
buildings: the old Ministry of Agriculture in Atocha, the Banco Central
Hispanoamericano and Fine Arts Club (Bellas Artes) in the Calle Alcalá,
the Telephone Exchange and the Carrión Building in the Gran Vía,
the Torres de Jerez in the Plaza de Colón, the two skyscrapers in
the Plaza de España, the Neo-Herrera style Air Headquarters and the
monumental Triumphal Arch in the Plaza de la Moncloa, from where the Velázquez
landscape of the Casa de Campo can be admired. The Plaza Picasso on the
Casteliana and the Vaguada are two interesting examples of contemporary
architecture. Madrid again played a heroic
role in the Spanish civil war (1936–39), when, under the command of Gen.
José Miaja, it resisted 29 months of siege by the Insurgents,
suffering several bombardments and air attacks and surrendering, thus
ending the war, only late in March, 1939. The general aspect of Madrid is
modern, with tree-lined boulevards and fashionable shopping areas, but the
old quarters have picturesque winding streets. Among the many landmarks
are the huge royal palace; the Buen Retiro park, opened in 1631; and the
imposing 19th-century building containing the national library (founded
1712), the national archives, a museum of Spanish modern art, and an
archaeological museum. |
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King
Philip III, born in Madrid, made it the capital of Spain in 16'6, at a
time when "Don Quixote" had already become a familiar figure in
the world. Precisely one year previously, its first edition was printed on
the presses of Juan de la Cuesta, in the popular street of Atocha. Madrid
has its small river, the Manzanares, which contains little water but is
spanned by several historic bridges. All the main roads of Spain radiate
from the "Kilometer 0" mark. Madrid has the railroad station:
Chamartín and Atocha, as well as the South bus station. You may
reach Madrid by air through the Madrid-Barajas International Airport.
Madrid's Puerta del Sol is lively and popular and is the terminus for all
the underground railway communications (Metro) and many of the buses. 
Plaza
de Santa Cruz-Calle de Toledo-Plaza de la Villa-Calle de Sacramento. In
the Plaza de Santa Cruz, is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was built
by Crescendi in 1634. He along with Juan de Herrera, who built the Segovia
Bridge over the Manzanares, was responsible for adding a distinct Spanish
note to the early Renaissance formulas compounded in Italy. The Cathedral
of San Isidro, in the nearby Calle de Toledo, was originally the Imperial
Jesuit College. The Madrid Town Hall is set in the Plaza de la Villa and
is the work of Gómez de la Mora. Near it is the Casa de Cisneros,
built twenty years after the death of the famous Cardinal Regent of Spain.
Just round the corner, in the Calle del Sacramento, is the Palacio de los
Vargas, a 16th century building also called the House of San Isidro, which
contains several curious relics. The Capilla del Obispo (Bishop's Chapel),
in the Plaza del Marqués de Comillas dates from the same century
and contains one of the finest reredoses produced in the Renaissance.
Then, rather more out of the way, in the Avenida de la Ciudad de
Barcelona, 1, there is the Basilica of Atocha, which is in the process of
being rebuilt. 
Sol-Prado-Jardín
Botánico-Retiro. A short distance along the Paseo del Prado there
are two lovely fountains known as the Four Seasons and Neptune. The Prado
Museum is a little further along on the left. This Neoclassical edifice
was built during the reign of Carles III by Juan de Villanueva, and was
originally designed as a Natural Science Museum. Following its completion
during the reign of Ferdinando VII it was used as a picture gallery. There
is a statue of Goya, by Benlliure, opposite the North front, which is
approached up two wide flights of steps crowned by an allegorical group
sculpted by Suñol. The façade, which gives into the Paseo
del Prado, has a central arcade with fourteen arches, decorated with
various statues and medallions. There is a statue of Velázquez by
Marinas in the gardens in front. And set against the South front there is
a statue of Murillo opposite the fine gateway, which leads through to the
Botanical Gardens. 
