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History & Evolution

Site-Seeing
The Prado
Madrid's world-famous attraction is the 213-year-old Prado Museum, one of the world's greatest art galleries, with more than 7,000 paintings that include masterpieces by Fra Angelico, Botticelli, El Bosco, Titian, Rembrandt and Velazquez. The museum began as a Royal collection, which succeeding dynasties have added to. The collection naturally focuses on the Spanish masters, particularly Goya, whose exhibited works follow the development of his painting from the sun-soaked early scenes of joyful festivities to the grim madness characterising his ‘black period’. The Prado has few equals - whether you are an art lover or not.

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Museo del Prado (Prado Museum)
The Prado Museum (founded in 1819) is undergoing an extensive programme of renovation, to reclaim its position among Europe's greatest galleries. Within its 4,000-strong collection of 16th- to early 19th-century paintings, are masterpieces by Fra Angelico, Botticelli, Bosch (El Bosco), Titian, Rembrandt and Velázquez, as well as evidence of the astonishing development of Goya - from his sun-soaked early paintings of dances and festivities to the grim madness of his black period. Address: Paseo del Prado

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
The second gallery in Madrid's 'golden triangle' of art museums is the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, housing the former private collection of the Thyssen family, which was bought by the city to enrich its fund of art treasures. The collection, in the restored 18th century Palacio de Villahermosa near the Prado, contains more than 800 paintings, sculptures, carvings and tapestries, ranging from primitive Flemish works to contemporary pieces. Among the highlights are works by Renoir, Durer and Van Eyck. The collection includes some major American works as well.

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Madrid purchased the private collection of Hans-Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza after a nine-and-a-half-year loan, instantly enriching the city's fund of art treasures. The collection contains over 800 paintings, sculptures, carvings and tapestries, ranging from primitive Flemish works to contemporary pieces. Highlights include works by Fra Angelico, Van Eyck, Dürer, Caravaggio and Rubens.

Paseo del Prado 8

Address: Villahermosa Palace, Paseo del Prado 8Location: Sherbrooke Street West

Reina Sofia National Art Centre Museum:
The third of Madrid’s famed art galleries, the Reina Sofia, is dedicated to 20th century Spanish art, having been designed to give Spain a museum to equal France’s Pompidou Centre and London’s Tate Gallery. The museum was opened by Queen Sofia in 1986, and is housed in the former Hospital de San Carlos at Calle Santa Isabel 52. The artworks displayed here include those of Juan Gris, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso. The star attraction of the museum is Picasso’s controversial Guernica, depicting the Nazi bombing of the Basque town in 1937 in support of Franco’s cause in the Spanish Civil War. Until 1980 this painting hung in New York’s Museum of Modern Art.


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Housed in a former hospital built by Francesco Sabatini for Carlos III in the late 18th century, the museum was designed by the Spanish architect Antonio Fernánez Alba in 1977 and completed in 1990. Officially opened by the King and Queen in 1992, it is dedicated to Spanish 20th-century art, pride of place belonging to Picasso's disturbing Civil War canvas, Guernica. Dalí, Miró and Juan Gris are among the other artists on show. More recently the museum has expanded with a building created by the French architect Jean Nouvel. The expansion houses the museum's library, a 450-seat auditorium and temporary exhibitions galleries.

Calle Santa Isabel 52

Address: Calle Santa Isabel 52;

Royal Palace:
The massive bright-white Royal Palace (Palacio Real) on the Plaza de Oriente in Madrid dates from 1734, when the 3,000-roomed royal residence was commissioned by Philip V. It was last called ‘home’ by the royal family in 1931 - the present king, Juan Carlos, lives in the more subdued Zarzuela Palace outside Madrid. Most of the rooms are now open to the public, and others are used for state business. English tours are run regularly, lasting about two hours, taking visitors to the reception room and state apartments, the impressive armoury and the royal pharmacy. The grandiose state apartments are filled with art treasures, antiques and opulent Roccoco décor that could even rival Versailles. Location: Sherbrooke East Street

Other:Palacio Real (Royal Palace)
With the opulence of Versailles in mind, Philip V commissioned Italian architects Giambattista Sacchetti and Francesco Sabatini to build the Royal Palace, following a fire that destroyed the medieval Alcázar in 1764. The present king, Juan Carlos I, resides in the more subdued Zarzuela Palace outside Madrid, so Philip's 3000-room extravaganza is only used for state functions. The rest of the time, the startling white building in granite and Colmenar stone is open for tours and individual visits. Highlights include the Hall of Halberdiers and Hall of Columns with their splendid frescoes, the Throne Room with its 17th-century sculptures, and the lavish private apartments of Charles II. Just off the courtyard is the Royal Armoury and Pharmacy - among Europe's oldest. Visits take approximately 2 hours. There are spectacular views over Madrid from the surrounding gardens.

Plaza de Oriente, Calle Bailén s/n
Address: Calle Bailén;

Plaza Mayor:
Madrid’s famous central arcaded square dates from 1619; it was built by Philip III whose statue still stands in the centre of the cobbled expanse. In medieval times the Plaza de Arrabal, as it was then known, was the venue for numerous public spectacles, ranging from knights' tournaments and festivals to the burning of heretics at the stake. Today it remains a public gathering place, but the majority of people who congregate in the sidewalk cafes to sip sangria on summer nights are tourists, enjoying impromptu music performances and watching the passing parade.

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This beautifully proportioned cobbled square was begun by Philip II and completed by Philip III in 1619 - his statue stands proudly at the centre. Plaza Mayor was both a market place and the setting for public spectacles - everything from the ritual condemnation of heretics to bull fights and pageants. Today, tourists outnumber the locals but Plaza Mayor is still as lively as it was in the past, with shops and cafés in the covered arcades.

History & Evolution
The origins of the city dates back to the Paleolithic. Around 1000 B.C, Madrid was inhabited by Iberian tribes, mingling later with Celtics. In 218 B.C the Roman colonization began and the region of Madrid became a focal point of numerous Roman roads. After the decline of the Empire, in the fourth century Madrid became a Visigothic seat with capital in Toledo.

In X-th century, the Arabs invaded Madrid. Since then, during the years of the Christian re-conquest Madrid changed hands on various occasions until it was finally liberated by King Alfonso VI in 1080.

During the XV-th century, the city became the usual residence of the Royal family. In the XVI-th century, Madrid had about 17.000 inhabitants and it was then, that the King Felipe II moved the Royal Court and transformed Madrid into capital. During this period Madrid suffered a great architectural and cultural expansion, known as the Golden Age with writers as Cervantes, Lope de Vega, etc. In the XVII-th century Madrid became the most important city in Spain with the constructions of museums, gardens, etc. In the XIX-th century, the first uprising against Napoleon took place in the city and it was the origin of the War of Independence. In the twentieth century, excluding the years of the Civil War (1936-1939), Madrid became a large cosmopolitan city, having been named the European Cultural Capital in 1992.

Site-Seeing
Museums that displays the historical artifacts are the main attractions of Madrid. Tourists reach Madrid not only for mere enjoyment, but also for learning some significant facts and ideas about the history of the city.

Madrid is well known for its attractions and monuments related to culture. As it is the capital city, its museums preserve the historical remnants of the war.