Madrid (www.munimadrid.es)

The capital of Spain, located in the heart of the peninsula and right in the center of the Castillian plain 646 meters above sea level, has a population of over three million. A cosmopolitan city, a business center, headquarters for the Public Administration, Government, Spanish Parliament and the home of the Spanish Royal Family, Madrid also plays a major role in both the banking and industrial sectors. Most industry is located on the southern fringe of the city, where important textile, food and metal working factories are clustered. Madrid is characterized by in tense cultural and artistic activity and a very lively nightlife.

The grand metropolis of Madrid can trace its origins to the times of Arab Emir Mohamed I (852-886), who ordered the construction of a fortress on the left bank of the Manzanares River. It later became the subject of a dispute between the Christians and Arabs until it was conquered by Alfonso VI in the 11th century. At the end of the 17th century, a defensive wall was built for the protection of the new outlying areas, tracing the roads of Segovia, Toledo and Valencia. During the 18tb century, under the reign of Carlos III, the great arteries of the city were designed, such as the Paseo de la Castellana, Paseo de Recoletos, Paseo del Prado and Paseo de Acacias. At the beginning of the 19th century, Joseph Bonaparte undertook the reform of the Puerta del Sol and vicinity. The commercial street known as the Gran Vía was built as an east-west avenue at the start of the century. In the 1950's the north-south boulevard called Paseo de la Castellana was extended and modern buildings were erected housing the major financial institutions. What remains today of the distant past are mainly the Baroque and neoclassical structures of the 17th and 18th centuries, such as the Plaza Mayor (Main Square), the Palacio Real (Royal palace) and others.

More world-class art is on exhibit in the neighborhood around the outstanding Prado Museum than within virtually any other concentrated area in the world: the Caravaggios and Rembrandts at the Thyssen-Bornemisza; the Goya and Velázquez masterpieces at the Prado itself; and the Dalís and Mirós,—not to mention the Picasso's Guernica—, at the Reina Sofía, to name a few. Some of the city gems are the 17th century Plaza Mayor, the former residence of the Spanish Kings Palacio Real, the lively El Rastro's (Sunday) flea market, and the fever of late-night flamenco shows. If the urban atmosphere starts to overwhelm, you may take some rest in the Parque del Retiro, a vast, verdant oasis in the heart of the city a stone's throw from the Prado Museum.