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Hotels in Madrid
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Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city in Spain, as well as in the
province and the autonomous community of the same name. It is located on
the Manzanares river in the center of the country. Due to its
geographical location and history, Madrid has been considered the
financial and political center of the Iberian Peninsula.
As the former capital of the old Spanish Empire Madrid has been bestowed
with a degree of cultural predominance. Renowned museums such as Museo
del Prado, the Museo Reina Sofia, and the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza are
major tourist attractions in the city. Other cultural highlights include
the Royal Palace of Madrid and the nearby royal monastery of San Lorenzo
de El Escorial.
The estimated population of the city was 3.228 million (July 2005),
while the estimated urban area population is 5.078 million. The entire
population of the Madrid metropolitan area (urban area and suburbs) is
calculated to be 5.843 million. The city spans a total of 607 km² (378
square miles).
Following the restoration of democracy in 1975 and the integation to the
European Union, Madrid has experienced an increasing role in European
finances making it one of the most important Southern European cities.
History
Although the site of modern-day Madrid has been occupied since
prehistoric times, the first historical data from the city comes from
the 9th century, when Mehmed 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 was later rendered to the modern-day spelling of
Madrid). The citadel was conquered in 1085 by 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 Ferdinand IV of
Castile. Sephardic Jews and Moors continued to live in the city until
they were expelled at the end of the 15th century.
After troubles and a big 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.
The kingdoms of Castilla, with its capital at Toledo, and Aragón, with
its capital at Barcelona, were welded into modern Spain by Charles I of
Spain. Though Charles favored Madrid, it was his 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 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), in the 16th/17th
century, Madrid had no resemblance with other European capitals: the
population of the city was economically dependent on the business of the
court itself.
Felipe V decided that a European capital could not stay in such a state,
and new palaces (including the Palacio Real de Madrid) were built during
his reign. However, it would not be until Carlos III (1716-1788) that
Madrid would become a modern city. Carlos III was one of the most
popular kings in the history of Madrid, and the saying "the best mayor,
the king" became popular during those times. When Carlos IV (1748-1819)
became king the people of Madrid revolted. After the Mutiny of Aranjuez
which was led by his own son Fernando VII against him, Carlos IV
resigned, but Fernando VII's reign would be short: in May of 1808
Napoleon's troops entered the city. On May 2, 1808 (Spanish: Dos de
Mayo) the Madrilenes revolted against the French forces, whose brute
reaction would have a lasting impact on French rule in Spain and
France's image in Europe in general.
After the war of independence (1814) Fernando VII came back to the
throne, but after a liberal military revolution, Colonel Riego made the
king swear respect to the Constitution. This would start a period where
liberal and conservative government alternated, that would end with the
enthronement of Isabel II (1830-1904). She could not to calm down the
political tension that would lead to yet another revolt, the First
Spanish Republic, and the comeback of the monarchs which eventually led
to the Second Spanish Republic and the Spanish Civil War. During this
war (1936-1939) Madrid was one of the most affected cities and its
streets were battlezones. It was during the Civil War that Madrid had
the sad honor of being the first city bombed by airplanes to spread
terror among innocent citizens.
During the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, Madrid became very
industrialized and there were massive migrations into the city. Towards
the end of the dictatorship the Basque terrorist group ETA assassinated
Franco's prime minister, Luis Carrero Blanco, in the Street of Claudio
Coello. Like anything related to ETA, this incident is still today a
matter of controversy; while some think that it created further
instability, others hold that the terrorist action--by preventing
Carrero Blanco from continuing the dictatorship after Franco's
death--contributed to lead the country towards democracy.
After the death of Franco, emerging democratic parties (including those
of left-wing and republican ideology) accepted Franco's wishes of being
succeeded by Juan Carlos I--in order to secure stablity and
democracy--which led Spain to its current position as constitutional
monarchy.
Befitting from the prosperity it gained in the 1980s, the capital city
of Spain has consolidated its position as the leading economic,
cultural, industrial, educational, and technological center on the
Iberian peninsula.
Climate
The region of Madrid has a Mediterranean climate that manifests itself
with fresh winters that often experience temperatures lower than 8 °C.
Summer tends to be warm with temperatures that easily reach 24 °C in
July and that can often reach 35 °C. In fact, the daily oscillation of
the weather conditions its quite reduced in the center of the city, but
its far more noticeable in the outskirts of Madrid. Precipitation,
although very limited, can be observed all throughout the year except
during summer.
Tourist attractions
Important cultural and tourist spots include the so-called Golden
Triangle of Art, located along the Paseo del Prado and comprising the
famous Prado Museum,free on Sunday mornings, (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-free to
go in on Wednesdays if you have a European Union passport, 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.The Naval Museum between Cibeles and the Prado (Paseo Prado,5) is
free and gives a great insight into the former Spanish sea-power.
Some places that you need to phone to make an appointment to visit are-
- Casa-Museo Jose Padilla (913561258 11am-2pm).
- Casa-Museo Manuel Benedito (915754687).
- Museo de Antropologia Medico Forense Paleopatologia y Criminalistica
Profesor Reverte Coma (913941578).
- Museo De La Farmacia Hispaña (913941797).
- Museo Del Reloj Grassy ( better to call, 915321007).
- Palacio De Liria (915475302.There appears to be at least an 18 month
waiting list).
Madrid is also host to one of the most famous bullfighting rings in the
world, Las Ventas.
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.
Transportation - Air
Madrid is served by Barajas International Airport. Barajas serves as the
main hub of Iberia Airlines and other 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, putting it in the top 20 busiest airports in the
world. Given annual increases of 10%, a new fourth and fifth terminals
are in the process of being constructed. It is expected to significantly
reduce delays and double the capacity of the airport. Two additional
runways have also being constructed and will soon be in operation,
making Barajas a fully operational 4 runway airport.
Transportation - National Rail
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 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 7,000 km
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 2005, AVE high-speed trains link
Atocha station to Seville and Toledo in the south and Lleida in the east
(to be extended to Barcelona).
Transportation - Metro
Serving 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. 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. The province of
Madrid is also served by an extensive commuter rail network called
Cercanías.
Wikipedia.org
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