Vibrant Madrid

Madrid has been the capital of Spain since the sixteenth century AD, mainly because of its strategic location in the center of the Iberian Peninsula. In 1561, Felipe II declared Madrid as the official capital of the country with the main objective of unifying and centralizing administrative works of the country. The capital was to act as a base for receiving the fastest post and communications from every corner of the nation. Apart from these factors, the region was also the most secure location as it was 186 miles from the seacoast and was situated at an altitude of 650 meters above sea level on a plateau, where it was very cold in the winters and simmering in the summers. All these features motivated successive rulers of Spain to develop the area into a strong and wealthy central capital.

The consistent development in the past as well as in recent years has transformed the area into a modern city that has a population of three million and growing. The journey towards the city via suburbs may not be a heartening sight as it mostly consists of concrete residential blocks. It is only after reaching the heart of the city when you come to realize the diversity of the place with its medieval buildings and narrow alleys, the oddest of shops and bars, and eighteenth-century Bourbon squares. As compared to other historic cities of Spain such as Toledo, Salamanca, Sevilla, and Granada that have many places of architectural importance, Madrid has relatively less number of monuments and primeval palaces or forts. However, you can visit the Prado museum that has an outstanding collection of pictures collected by monarchs over the years. Apart from these, you an also visit the Reina Sofía and Thyssen-Bornemisza galleries that display a remarkable collection of modern Spanish painting including works of Picasso's Guernica and other European and American masters.

The inhabitants of Madrid are very friendly and lively and you would come across them anywhere in the capital, be it hanging out in conventional cafés or summer terrazas, shopping in the narrow streets of the Sunday Rastro flea market, or spending time in the numerous bars, clubs, discos, and tascas. Other cities of Spain such as Barcelona and San Sebastian might claim to be more vibrant and entertaining, but Madrid certainly has the advantage and has lived up to its image of immortality in the movies of Pedro Almodovar.

The recent multi-million dollar refurbishment loan given to the city by the European Union for its role as 1992 European Capital of Culture has been utilized to fund a series of urban rehabilitation schemes and in the development of older districts of the city. Funds received are also being channeled for improving the transport network including extensions to the metro, construction of a new ring road, and building road tunnels for reducing the traffic on the city's overcrowded streets.