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The sculpture La Mariblanca is a copy of the original, located on the top of a column at the confluence of where Arenal street meet with Puerta del Sol. La Mariblanca, has an unknown origin, nevertheless it is known that it was purchased in 1625, to decorate the now missing Fountain of Faith (Fuente de […]
This magnificent statue of King Philip III, located in Plaza Mayor of Madrid, was completed in Florence in 1616 by Giambologna and Pietro Taca. It had been placed at several sites, the first in the Palace of Vargas in Casa de Campo (the large park on the West side of the city), where it remained […]
Where today is the Plaza de Santo Domingo in Madrid, way back in 1218, there was a Dominican convent, founded by Domingo de Guzman. This was demolished in the time of Joseph I Bonaparte, where they placed an outdoor flower market, in this same area. Joseph I, was known as “King Squares”, since he opened […]
La Moncloa is an important area of the city of Madrid , as a node for the public transport, being so close to the Complutense University of Madrid, as one of the main entrances to the city, from the Northwest by highway La Coruña, and also since it is close to the Parque del Oeste […]
The photo above shows the Manzanares River taken from the Segovia Bridge in January 2011, after finishing the works of the M-30 underground ring road, which passes just below this river. This is part of the western sector of the M-30, which follows the course of the Manzanares River from the South Node of Madrid, […]
A nice walk to from the city center to the northwest, a few steps from the Plaza España, we have the Temple of Debod, Parque del Oeste (West Park), and a little further away, comes the cable car, where on their way to Casa de Campo, you can see great views of the city that […]
The Cibeles fountain is a monument worked in marble of Toledo, of the goddess Cybele, on a chariot drawn by lions. It is located in the plaza of the same name where Alcala Street, Paseo del Prado, and Recoletos meet. In this square, there are four important buildings, which are landmarks of Madrid; the Palacio […]
The Bailen Street Viaduct, also called Viaduct of Segovia, is only about 100 meters from the Almudena Cathedral, and walking distance from the old part of town, as you can see on the background of the picture above. This structure, has replaced since 1930, the original construction made out of iron and wood, that started […]
In the photo below these lines, it’s a view from South to North, where we have the Almudena Cathedral, and the Crypt. Below this, is what remains of the old Muslim Wall. Just below the Almudena Cathedral, with the three neo protogothic semicircular doors on the picture, is the crypt. Its construction begun on April 4, […]
The Hill of the Blind, today is a steep stairway that goes from Calle de Segovia, up to the viewpoint of Las Vistillas. It hides a beautiful legend that goes back to the thirteenth-century, and is characterized by Saint Francis of Assisi. The Legend has it that St. Francis, while heading for the Camino de […]
On the photos, we have the monument to Christofer Columbus. On the East side of Plaza de Colón, on the place called the Gardens of Discovery, we have an enormous monument for the Discovery of America. This sculpture of 1977, the work of Joaquín Vaquero Turcios, consists of four large concrete blocks, with a total […]
August is summer vacation time for most Spaniards, and Madrid slows down its pace with less traffic jams and business activity, but greatly increases the action in terms of traditional feasts and festivals. The best known are the Fiestas de La Latina, and La Paloma, held on a public holiday, on August 15. Thousands of […]
It seems that in the Spanish Golden Age, many writers and scholars worked on a legend to explain the origin of the name of Madrid. This legend begins with the survivors of the Battle of Troy, and being Prince Bianor one of them, who tried to return to Greece, without success. Eventually he settled and […]
On the photo of the Plaza de la Villa, above, there are the 3 main buildings: The Tower and House of Lujanes, to the left, Casa de Cisneros, located in the southern part of the enclosure, and the Casa de la Villa, on the right. The Tower and Lujanes House, are the two oldest civilian […]
This point or mark on the sidewalk in front of the “Casa de Correos”, (current headquarters of the Community of Madrid), in Puerta del Sol, sets the zero kilometer point, from where the six national roads or motorways A-1 to A-6, start. Also from here the numbering of the streets of Madrid begin, being the […]
In the Plaza de Oriente in Madrid, there is this masterpiece, not only for its artistic value, but also for its technical characteristics. This is the first equestrian sculpture where the horse is rearing, so it is supported on the hind legs. This equestrian statue of Philip IV, was made by Pietro Tacca in 1640, […]
It is a fact that Madrid has no beach, but it has always been a dream for Madrilians. Back in 1932, an artificial beach on the Manzanares River was opened to the public. A dam was built there for this purpose. This beach, was destroyed in 1939 during the Spanish Civil War. In addition to […]
Plaza de Cascorro, leads the famous Sunday market of El Rastro. This square has been called Cascorro, on behalf of a small Cuban town where Madrilian soldier Eloy Gonzalo, fought heroically. The statue in the photo, shows how the soldier is armed holding a gasoline can with his left arm, and has a long rope […]
The “Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas” is the largest bullring in Spain, and the third in the world, with a total capacity of 23,798 persons. Bull rings in Mexico, and Valencia, Venezuela, are the largest ones. It is located in calle Alcalá, 237, on the neighborhood called Salamanca, next to the M30 which is […]
The picture above, was taken in June of 1976, where you can see the Metropolis building, with Alcala street to the left, just behind the bus. To the right is “Edificio Grassy”, on La Gran Via, 1. In the background, is the Telefónica building. To the right of the new photos taken in July […]
In these two pictures you can see the changes in the surroundings, and the unchanged architecture and monument of the Puerta de Alcalá.
The Atocha Station Greenhouse, is a botanical garden of tropical and subtropical plants located in Atocha Station in Madrid. With an area of 4,000 square meters it houses over 7,200 plants of 260 species, where you can find different trees, like mahogany, rubber, coconut, palm trees, and other smaller plants, such as heliconias, coffee and […]
At the southern end of the Retiro Park, there is this superb rose garden, known as the “La Rosaleda.” It is a relatively recent addition to the park, by the gardener Cecilio Rodriguez in 1915. The original rose garden was completely destroyed during the Civil War, and two years later, in 1941, the garden was […]
The Crystal Palace, has in front an artificial lake, where you can find bald cypress trees (Taxodium distichum), with their main characteristic, that part of the trunk, and roots are under water. The building is surrounded by Buckeyes or Spanish Chestnut trees. The palace has suffered great damage over time, due to the wars, but […]
This exhibition called “Natural Paradises: Artificial Reflections“, is part of the 1500 works of art from outstanding Spanish and Latin American artists, which are distributed on Spanish airports and other facilities managed by AENA (Spanish Airports and Air Navigation Authority). The detail above belong to painting L’horabaixaparavent (1997) by José María Sicilia consisting of 5 […]
Tree of Love Cercis siliquastrum This crooked trunk tree, share family with the legumes, like chickpeas, beans, peas, etc.. Its fruits are a bean sheath, in which the seeds grow, but unlike many other vegetables, they are not edible. Flowering of these trees, begin with the early days of heat. Its flowers, have a butterfly […]
Next to Plaza Mayor, in the heart of the Old Madrid, lies this beautiful square named Plaza de la Villa. In its center there is a statue tribute to Alvaro de Bazan (nineteenth century), and around it, is a group of three buildings: the Casa de la Villa, designed by Juan Gómez de Mora in […]
Next to the Prado Museum, we have the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid, which has been in this location on the Paseo del Prado, since 1781. Previously (inaugurated in 1755), these gardens were at another location near the River Manzanares, in a place which today is called Puerta de Hierro. In the early nineteenth century, […]
White Night in Madrid, is a cultural initiative that begun in Berlin in 1997, and then continued in Paris in 2002. After this, it continued in other European cities. During one night a year, usually in the month of September, many of the attractions of the city remain open to the public, until dawn the […]
TAF Automotive 9522 (Fiat, Italy, 1952) The TAF 9522, was an Italian designed automotive train, which became operational in 1952 with the aim of modernizing the most important RENFE daytime fast long-distance lines. Its introduction was aimed to replace old vehicles on some of these routes. These trains could run on all lines because of […]
1615 Diesel Locomotive (American Locomotive Company, USA, 1955) This train engine, deserves special attention for several reasons. First, it was the first diesel locomotive that circulated in Spain, because until then, the diesel locomotives that existed, were intended for shunting rail operations. Second, because it was a prototype acquired to the U.S. company ALCO, to […]
Steam Locomotive “Tardienta”. (John Jones & Son, Great Britain, 1862) Steam locomotive, of the type 1-1-1, built by John Jones for Tardienta-Huesca Railway in 1864. Then it became part of the Railway Company of Zaragoza to Pamplona and Barcelona. In 1910 this steam train engine, was sold to a private company called Industrial Azucarera S.A., […]
This locomotive was one of the first with four axles in Spain, which gave it more power. It was also the first to use steam brakes. As for its appearance, it is characterized by the short height of the steam boiler, which is due to the fact that all its mechanisms are external, and also, […]
Locomotora de vapor 141-F-2416. Rodaje tipo Mikado (Talleres Euskalduna, España, 1960) These train engines correspond to a batch of 217 produced entirely in Spain. They are of the type called Mikado, because of the construction and disposition of the axes, in a 1-4-1 way, a guidance front axle, 4 motor and traction, and a final […]
6101 Electric Locomotive (Westinghouse and Baldwin, United States, 1924) In the early days of electric traction at Pajares Ramp in Asturias, Spain, this locomotive (as well as the 6005) made the journey through this difficult mountain pass, on the way to Busdongo Station in León. From Busdongo, a change was made to a steam locomotive […]
4020 Diesel Locomotive Krauss Maffei and Babcock & Wilcox, Germany – Spain, 1966 The 4020 is a Diesel locomotive of great power, that derives from the V-200 series of the German railways. These locomotives were the only diesel with hydromechanical transmission Mekydro that circulated in Spain. When RENFE incorporated them into their engine park, these […]
On one of the corners of Plaza Cibeles, you have the Palacio de Buenavista, where the Cuartel General del Ejército, (Army Headquarters), is located. This picture was taken from Alcalá Street, and it shows the sculpture “El Valor” (Courage) , the soldiers in the garden overlooking the main (south) facade of the Palacio de Buenavista. […]
AZCA is the financial district in downtown Madrid. The building complex, makes a rectangle shape, between Raimundo Fernández Villaverde St., Orense St., General Perón St., and the Paseo de la Castellana Avenue. In the photo above, you can see the “Skyline” of most of the skyscrapers North of Madrid. In the photo, you can see […]
Europa Tower, measures 121 meters in height, and ranks seventh tallest skyscrapers in Madrid. It has 30 floors, and it is located on one of the corners of the rectangle formed by the AZCA business complex, on Paseo de la Castellana, 95. The building houses offices of various companies. This building is just across the […]
The Mahou Tower, with its 85 meters and 29 floors, it is the seventeenth tallest building in Madrid. It is located in the AZCA complex, near the new Windsor building, and El Corte Inglés in La Castellana Avenue. The Torre Alfredo Mahou, as it is also called in Spanish, was built from 1987 to 1990. […]
The statue of Federico García Lorca is right in front of the Teatro Español, in Plaza Santa Ana. Unfortunately on a night of April 2011, some vandals tore apart the lark from the hands of the statue, and no one saw it. This photo was taken the 24 of July, 2011, and galdfully, it looks […]
El Rastro is an outdoor market that takes place every Sunday morning, where originally used objects, and antiques are sold. It’s been going for more than 250 years, as the usual market for the sale, exchange and dealing of used objects. Today it has both, new and used, but always, the opportunity of negotiation, like […]
We can start the tour in Puerta del Sol for a short walk through Calle Preciados which is the the main shopping street in Madrid, and one of the busiest in the world. Preciados is a walking street, where you can find stores of all kinds. This street has an L shape. This view shows […]
The San Miguel Market is located in the plaza of the same name, next to the Plaza Mayor of Madrid. It preserves the original interesting iron structure of the early twentieth century. This building has been closed for many years, and currently a group of private individuals came with the idea to open a very […]
Foster Tower, formerly known as Bankia Caja Madrid Tower, and before that was the Repsol Tower, is a skyscraper in Madrid, located at the CTBA complex north of Madrid, and next to three other skyscrapers. It is a 45 storey building, with a total height of 250 meters, making it the tallest building in Spain, […]
PwC Tower, formerly called Sacyr Vallehermoso Tower, is the third tallest skyscraper in Madrid and Spain, and the sixth in the European Union. It has a height of 236 meters, 58 floors, and its construction began in 2004 and ended on April 12, 2008. The architects of the project, are Carlos Rubio Carvajal and Enrique […]
The four buildings of the CTBA, are standing next to each other, and on this photo, you can see the reflection of Torre Espacio (Space Tower), on the Crystal Tower. The Crystal Tower, is located North of Madrid. With its 249 meters and 52 storeys, it is the tallest building in Spain and the eighth […]
The Puerta de Alcala (Alcala Gate) is a monument in the Plaza de la Independencia (“Independence Square”), which is on the northwest part of El Retiro Park, on its main entrance. Francisco Sabatini created the monument in 1778 for king Carlos III. Madrid on the 18th Century still remained surrounded by medieval walls, so king […]
The Crystal Palace, has in front an artificial lake, where you can find bald cypress trees (Taxodium distichum), with their main characteristic, that part of the trunk, and roots are under water. The building is surrounded by Buckeyes or Spanish Chestnut trees. The palace has suffered great damage over time, due to the wars, but […]