With its blinged out designer clothes shops filled with trophy wives dragging along toy poodles, Salamanca is THE most exclusive barrio in Madrid. But it wasn’t always this way. In fact, the area has a surprisingly short and initially troubled history. Breaking through the city wall Between 1625 and 1868, Madrid was surrounded by a …
Europe’s largest shanty town Most of us associate shanty towns with poorer cities outside of Europe – areas where those below the poverty line live cheek to jowl in substandard housing, struggling to get by without proper access to basic amenities like running water and electricity. With these preconceptions in my own mind, it was …
A cinematic history Up until December 3, Madrid’s Railway Museum is playing host to a special “Murder on the Orient Express” exhibition. Put on to mark the release of Kenneth Branagh’s film in cinemas, the event pays tribute Agatha Christie’s masterpiece with a display of outfits and accessories from the 1930s shown alongside the museum’s existing …
An Arabic name Though it was the Muslims who put Madrid on the map in 860 by building a fortress to protect the kingdom of Al-Andalus from Christian raiders, save for a tiny section of the citadel wall, there is little physical trace of their presence in the city today. However, that isn’t to say …
Europe’s tallest building The Telefónica building is one of Gran Via’s most impressive sights. Standing at 90 meters tall, this stately white edifice was the brainchild of Ignacio de Cárdenas, an architect who took his inspiration from Manhattan’s impressive skyscrapers, but also added his own Spanish touch with ornamental Baroque flourishes. When the project was completed …
The Telefonica building: Madrid’s first skyscraper Read More »
Have you ever been to Pepe Botella? This traditional bar looking out over Plaza Dos de Mayo is, in my opinion, one of the best places in the city to spend a tranquil morning writing. But do you know what the significance of this bar’s name is and what exactly happened on the second of …
Though the siege of Madrid lasted two and a half years, today the city bears few visible scars. As the bomb craters were filled in, a silence fell over the cowed populace. A silence that until recently has largely remained unbroken. And yet, out on the edges of the city where the battle raged the …
Deceptive construction Take a good look at the building above. How many floors do you think it has? Two, three, four? Stumped? That’s pretty much what the 16th century architect was going for. With its sloped roof and weirdly positioned windows, this building, located in La Latina at number 10 Calle de la Redondilla, was …
A lucrative conquest? The conquest of the New World was a bit of a kerching moment for Spain. Galleons containing vast amounts of gold were brought over to fill the crown’s coffers making Spain the envy of all Europe. And yet visitors to Madrid were surprised at how scuzzy the city looked. The unpaved streets …
Muslim Madrid Though little remains of Madrid’s Muslim past, medieval Andalusia lives on in the popular imagination thanks to the efforts of some late 19th-century architects who brought about the revival of a Spanish style known as Mudéjar. Reflecting the fanciful nature of the Romantic period, these red-brick buildings with their square minaret-style towers give …
Neo-mudéjar: the mashup style that reflects Spain’s rich heritage Read More »
