Madrid

Capital city and municipality in Community of Madrid, Spain

Madrid
Plaza Mayor Gran Vía and Callao Municipal Hall Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral
1st
Website	https://madrid.es

Madrid (

The origin of the name is unknown. There are various theories regarding the origin of the toponym "Madrid" (all of them with problems when it comes to fully explain the phonetic evolution of the toponym along history), namely:[32]

• A Celtic origin (Madrid < *Magetoritum;^[33] with the root "-ritu" meaning "ford").
• From the
  Arabic: ‏مجريط‎, romanized: majrīṭ, lit. '"spring", "fountain"'.^[34] The latter is the first documented name of the settlement.^[34]
• A
  Mozarabic variant of the Latin matrix, matricis (also meaning "water stream").^[33]

The site of modern-day Madrid has been occupied since prehistoric times,

In 1309, the Courts of Castile convened at Madrid for the first time under Ferdinand IV, and later in 1329, 1339, 1391, 1393, 1419 and twice in 1435.

Modern Age

During the

The number of urban inhabitants grew from 4,060 in the year 1530 to 37,500 in the year 1594. The poor population of the court was composed of ex-soldiers, foreigners, rogues and Ruanes, dissatisfied with the lack of food and high prices. In June 1561

During the early 17th century, although Madrid recovered from the loss of the capital status, with the return of diplomats, lords and affluent people, as well as an entourage of noted writers and artists together with them, extreme poverty was however rampant.^[51] The century also was a time of heyday for theatre, represented in the so-called corrales de comedias.^[52]

The city changed hands several times during the

Seeking to take advantage of the Madrid's location at the geographic centre of Spain, the 18th century saw a sustained effort to create a radial system of communications and transports for the country through public investments.[57]

Philip V built the Royal Palace, the

In the context of the Peninsular War, the situation in French-occupied Madrid after March 1808 was becoming more and more tense. On 2 May, a crowd began to gather near the Royal Palace protesting against the French attempt to evict the remaining members of the Bourbon royal family to Bayonne, prompting up an uprising against the French Imperial troops that lasted hours and spread throughout the city, including a famous last stand at the Monteleón barracks. Subsequent repression was brutal, with many insurgent Spaniards being summarily executed.^[60] The uprising led to a declaration of war calling all the Spaniards to fight against the French invaders.

Capital of the Liberal State

The city was invaded on 24 May 1823 by a French army—the so-called

The Spanish Constitution of 1931 was the first to legislate the location of the country's capital, setting it explicitly in Madrid. During the 1930s, Madrid enjoyed "great vitality"; it was demographically young, becoming urbanized and the centre of new political movements.^[67] During this time, major construction projects were undertaken, including the northern extension of the Paseo de la Castellana, one of Madrid's major thoroughfares.^[68] The tertiary sector, including banking, insurance and telephone services, grew greatly.^[69] Illiteracy rates were down to below 20%, and the city's cultural life grew notably during the so-called Silver Age of Spanish Culture; the sales of newspapers also increased.^[70] Conversely, the proclamation of the Republic created a severe housing shortage. Slums and squalor grew due to high population growth and the influx of the poor to the city. Construction of affordable housing failed to keep pace and increased political instability discouraged economic investment in housing in the years immediately prior to the Civil War.^[71] Anti-clericalism and Catholicism lived side by side in Madrid; the burning of convents initiated after riots in the city in May 1931 worsened the political environment.^[72] However, the 1934 insurrection largely failed in the city.^[73]

Madrid was one of the most heavily affected cities in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). It was a stronghold of the Republican faction from July 1936 and became an international symbol of anti-fascist struggle during the conflict.^[74] The city suffered aerial bombing, and in November 1936, its western suburbs were the scene of an all-out battle.^[75] The city fell to the Francoists in March 1939.

Francoist dictatorship

A staple of post-war Madrid (Madrid de la posguerra) was the widespread use of

The intense demographic growth experienced by the city via mass immigration from the rural areas of the country led to the construction of abundant housing in the peripheral areas of the city to absorb the new population (reinforcing the processes of social polarization of the city),[79] initially comprising substandard housing (with as many as 50,000 shacks scattered around the city by 1956).^[80] A transitional planning intended to temporarily replace the shanty towns were the poblados de absorción, introduced since the mid-1950s in locations such as Canillas, San Fermín, Caño Roto, Villaverde, Pan Bendito [es], Zofío and Fuencarral, aiming to work as a sort of "high-end" shacks (with the destinataries participating in the construction of their own housing) but under the aegis of a wider coordinated urban planning.^[81]

Madrid grew through the annexation of neighboring municipalities, achieving the present extent of 607 km² (234.36 sq mi). The south of Madrid became heavily industrialized, and there was significant immigration from rural areas of Spain. Madrid's newly built north-western districts became the home of a newly enriched middle class that appeared as result of the 1960s Spanish economic boom, while the south-eastern periphery became a large working-class area, which formed the base for active cultural and political movements.^[75]

Recent history

After the fall of the Francoist regime, the new 1978 constitution confirmed Madrid as the capital of Spain. The 1979 municipal election brought Madrid's first democratically elected mayor since the Second Republic to power.

Madrid was the scene of some of the most important events of the time, such as the mass demonstrations of support for democracy after the failed coup,

Benefiting from increasing prosperity in the 1980s and 1990s, the capital city of Spain consolidated its position as an important economic, cultural, industrial, educational, and technological centre on the European continent.

Since the late 2010s, the challenges the city faces include the increasingly unaffordable rental prices (often in parallel with the gentrification and the spike of tourist apartments in the city centre) and the profusion of betting shops in working-class areas, leading to an "epidemic" of gambling among young people.^[88][89]

Geography

Location

Madrid lies in the centre of the Iberian peninsula on the southern

The oldest urban core is located on the hills next to the left bank of the Manzanares River.[93] The city grew to the east, reaching the Fuente Castellana Creek [es] (now the Paseo de la Castellana), and further east reaching the Abroñigal Creek [es] (now the M-30).^[93] The city also grew through the annexation of neighbouring urban settlements,^[93] including those to the South West on the right bank of the Manzanares.

Parks and forests

Retiro Park

The Manzanares flowing through the Monte de El Pardo

A great bulk of the most important parks in Madrid are related to areas originally belonging to the royal assets (including El Pardo, Soto de Viñuelas, Casa de Campo, El Buen Retiro, la Florida and the Príncipe Pío hill, and the Queen's Casino).^[94] The other main source for the "green" areas are the bienes de propios [es] owned by the municipality (including the Dehesa de la Villa, the Dehesa de Arganzuela or Viveros).^[95]

Located northwest of the city centre, the Parque del Oeste ("Park of the West") comprises part of the area of the former royal possession of the "Real Florida", and it features a slope as the height decreases down to the Manzanares.^[99] Its southern extension includes the Temple of Debod, a transported ancient Egyptian temple.^[100]

Other urban parks are the

Further west, across the Manzanares, lies the Casa de Campo, a large forested area with more than 1700 hectares (6.6 sq mi) where the Madrid Zoo, and the Parque de Atracciones de Madrid amusement park are located. It was ceded to the municipality following the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931.^[101]

The

Other large forested areas include the Soto de Viñuelas, the Dehesa de Valdelatas [es] and the Dehesa de la Villa [es]. As of 2015, the most recent big park in the municipality is the Valdebebas Park. Covering a total area of 4.7 km² (1.8 sq mi), it is sub-divided in a 3.4 km² (1.3 sq mi) forest park (the Parque forestal de Valdebebas-Felipe VI [es]), a 0.8 km² (0.31 sq mi) periurban park as well as municipal garden centres and compost plants.^[104]

Climate

Madrid has a

At the metropolitan scale, Madrid features both substantial daytime urban cool island and nighttime urban heat island effects during the summer season in relation to its surroundings, which feature thinly vegetated dry land.^[111]

Water supply

In the 17th century, the viajes de agua (a kind of water channel or qanat) were used to provide water to the city. Some of the most important ones were the Viaje de Amaniel [es] (1610–1621, sponsored by the Crown), the Viaje de Fuente Castellana [es] (1613–1620) and Abroñigal Alto [es]/Abroñigal Bajo [es] (1617–1630), sponsored by the City Council. They were the main infrastructure for the supply of water until the arrival of the Canal de Isabel II in the mid-19th century.^[114]

Madrid derives almost 73.5 percent of its water supply from dams and reservoirs built on the Lozoya River, such as the El Atazar Dam.^[115] This water supply is managed by the Canal de Isabel II, a public entity created in 1851. It is responsible for the supply, depurating waste water and the conservation of all the natural water resources of the Madrid region.

Demographics

The population of Madrid has overall increased since the city became the capital of Spain in the mid-sixteenth century, and has stabilised at approximately 3,000,000 since the 1970s.

From 1970 until the mid-1990s, the population dropped. This phenomenon, which also affected other European cities, was caused in part by the growth of satellite suburbs at the expense of the downtown region within the city proper.

The demographic boom accelerated in the late-1990s and early first decade of the 21st century due to immigration in parallel with a surge in Spanish economic growth.

The wider Madrid region is the EU region with the highest average life expectancy at birth. The average life expectancy was 82.2 years for males and 87.8 for females in 2016.^[116]

As the capital city of Spain, the city has attracted many immigrants from around the world, with most of the immigrants coming from Latin American countries.^[117] In 2020, around 76% of the registered population was Spain-born,^[118] while, regarding the foreign-born population (24%),^[118] the bulk of it relates to the Americas (around 16% of the total population), and a lesser fraction of the population is born in other European, Asian and African countries.

As of 2019, the fastest-growing group of immigrants were Venezuelans, who consisted of a population of 60,000 in Madrid alone. This made them the second-largest community of foreign origin at the time after Ecuadorians, with a population of 88,000.^[119]

Regarding religious beliefs, according to a 2019

Local government and administration

Façade of the city hall

A plenary session of the city council

The City Council (Ayuntamiento de Madrid) is the body responsible for the government and administration of the municipality. It is formed by the Plenary (Pleno), the Mayor (alcalde) and the Government Board (Junta de Gobierno de la Ciudad de Madrid).

The Plenary of the Ayuntamiento is the body of

The mayor, the supreme representative of the city, presides over the Ayuntamiento. He is charged with giving impetus to the municipal policies, managing the action of the rest of bodies and directing the executive municipal administration.^[123] He is responsible to the Pleno. He is also entitled to preside over the meetings of the Pleno, although this responsibility can be delegated to another municipal councillor. José Luis Martínez-Almeida, a member of the People's Party, has served as mayor since 2019.

The Government Board consists of the mayor, deputy mayors and a number of delegates assuming the portfolios for the different government areas. All those positions are held by municipal councillors.^[124]

Since 2007, the

Capital of Spain

Madrid is the capital of the Community of Madrid. The region has its own legislature and enjoys a wide range of competencies in areas such as social spending, healthcare, and education. The seat of the regional parliament, the Assembly of Madrid, is located at the district of Puente de Vallecas. The presidency of the regional government is headquartered at the Royal House of the Post Office at the very centre of the city, the Puerta del Sol.

Law enforcement

The Madrid Municipal Police (Policía Municipal de Madrid) is the local law enforcement body, dependent on the Ayuntamiento. As of 2018, it had a workforce of 6,190 civil servants.^[125]

The headquarters of both the

Administrative subdivisions

Madrid is administratively divided into 21 districts, which are further subdivided into 131 neighbourhoods (barrios):

Centro

Arganzuela

Retiro

Salamanca

Chamartín

Tetuán

Chamberí

Fuencarral-El Pardo

Moncloa-Aravaca

Latina

Carabanchel

Usera

Puente de Vallecas

Moratalaz

Ciudad Lineal

Hortaleza

Villaverde

Villa de Vallecas

Vicálvaro

San Blas-Canillejas

Barajas

Economy

After it became the capital of Spain in the 16th century, Madrid was more a centre of consumption than of production or trade. Economic activity was largely devoted to supplying the city's own rapidly growing population, including the royal household and national government, and to such trades as banking and publishing.

A large

Madrid is the 5th most important leading Centre of Commerce in Europe (after London, Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam) and ranks 11th in the world.[19] It is the leading Spanish-speaking city in terms of webpage creation.^[21]

Economic history

As the capital city of the Spanish Empire from 1561, Madrid's population grew rapidly. Administration, banking, and small-scale manufacturing centred on the royal court were among the main activities, but the city was more a locus of consumption than production or trade, geographically isolated as it was before the coming of the railways.

The Bank of Spain is one of the oldest European central banks. Originally named as the Bank of San Carlos as it was founded in 1782, it was later renamed to Bank of San Fernando in 1829 and ultimately became the Bank of Spain in 1856.^[127] Its headquarters are located at the calle de Alcalá. The Madrid Stock Exchange was inaugurated on 20 October 1831.^[128] Its benchmark stock market index is the IBEX 35.

Industry started to develop on a large scale only in the 20th century,^[129] but then grew rapidly, especially during the "Spanish miracle" period around the 1960s. The economy of the city was then centred on manufacturing industries such as those related to motor vehicles, aircraft, chemicals, electronic devices, pharmaceuticals, processed food, printed materials, and leather goods.^[130] Since the restoration of democracy in the late 1970s, the city has continued to expand. Its economy is now among the most dynamic and diverse in the European Union.^[131]

Present-day economy

Madrid concentrates activities directly connected with power (central and regional government, headquarters of Spanish companies, regional HQ of

Mean household income and spending are 12% above the Spanish average.[132]^{: 537, 553} The proportion classified as "at risk of poverty" in 2010 was 15.6%, up from 13.0% in 2006 but less than the average for Spain of 21.8%. The proportion classified as affluent was 43.3%, much higher than Spain overall (28.6%).^{[132]: 540–3}

Consumption by Madrid residents has been affected by job losses and by austerity measures, including a rise in sales tax from 8% to 21% in 2012.^[135]

Although residential property prices have fallen by 39% since 2007, the average price of dwelling space was €2,375.6 per sq. m. in early 2014,^[134]: 70 and is shown as second only to London in a list of 22 European cities.^[136]

Employment

Participation in the labour force was 1,638,200 in 2011, or 79.0%. The employed workforce comprised 49% women in 2011 (Spain, 45%).^[132]: 98 41% of economically active people are university graduates, against 24% for Spain as a whole.^[132]: 103

In 2011, the unemployment rate was 15.8%, remaining lower than in Spain as a whole. Among those aged 16–24, the unemployment rate was 39.6%.^{[132]: 97, 100} Unemployment reached a peak of 19.1% in 2013,^[134]: 17 but with the start of an economic recovery in 2014, employment started to increase.^[137] Employment continues to shift further towards the service sector, with 86% of all jobs in this sector by 2011, against 74% in all of Spain.^[132]: 117 In the second quarter of 2018 the unemployment rate was 10.06%.^[138]

Services

The share of services in the city's economy is 86%. Services for business, transport & communications, property, and financial together account for 52% of the total value added.

Madrid and the wider region's authorities have put a notable effort in the development of logistics infrastructure. Within the city proper, some of the standout centres include Mercamadrid, the Madrid-Abroñigal [es] logistics centre, the Villaverde's Logistics Centre and the Vicálvaro's Logistics Centre to name a few.^[139]

Banks based in Madrid carry out 72% of the banking activity in Spain.^[132]: 474 The Spanish central bank, Bank of Spain, has existed in Madrid since 1782. Stocks & shares, bond markets, insurance, and pension funds are other important forms of financial institution in the city.

Madrid is an important centre for

As an industrial centre Madrid retains its advantages in infrastructure, as a transport hub, and as the location of headquarters of many companies. Industries based on advanced technology are acquiring much more importance here than in the rest of Spain.[132]^: 271 Industry contributed 7.5% to Madrid's value-added in 2010.^[132]: 265 However, industry has slowly declined within the city boundaries as more industry has moved outward to the periphery. Industrial Gross Value Added grew by 4.3% in the period 2003–2005, but decreased by 10% during 2008–2010.^{[132]: 271, 274} The leading industries were: paper, printing & publishing, 28.8%; energy & mining, 19.7%; vehicles & transport equipment, 12.9%; electrical and electronic, 10.3%; foodstuffs, 9.6%; clothing, footwear & textiles, 8.3%; chemical, 7.9%; industrial machinery, 7.3%.^[132]: 266

The

The construction sector, contributing 6.5% to the city's economy in 2010,^[132]: 265 was a growing sector before the recession, aided by a large transport and infrastructure program. More recently the construction sector has fallen away and earned 8% less in 2009 than it had been in 2000.^{[132]: 242–3} The decrease was particularly marked in the residential sector, where prices dropped by 25%–27% from 2007 to 2012/13^{[132]: 202, 212} and the number of sales fell by 57%.^[132]: 216

Tourism

Madrid is the seat of the

In 2018, the city received 10.21 million tourists (53.3% of them international tourists).[140]^p. 9 The biggest share of international tourists come from the United States, followed by Italy, France, United Kingdom and Germany.^[140]p. 10 As of 2018, the city has 793 hotels, 85,418 hotel places and 43,816 hotel rooms.^[140]p. 18 It also had, as of 2018, an estimated 20,217 tourist apartments.^[140]p. 20

The most visited museum was the

^p. 32

By the late 2010s, the gentrification and the spike of tourist apartments in the city centre led to an increase in rental prices, pushing residents out of the city centre.

AirBnB.^[89] In April 2019 the plenary of the ayuntamiento passed a plan intending to regulate this practice, seeking to greatly limit the number of tourist apartments. The normative would enforce a requirement for independent access to those apartments in and out of the street.^[142] However, after the change of government in June 2019, the new municipal administration plans to revert the regulation.^[143]

International rankings

A recent study placed Madrid 7th among 36 cities as an attractive base for business.[144] It was placed third in terms of availability of office space, and fifth for ease of access to markets, availability of qualified staff, mobility within the city, and quality of life. Its less favourable characteristics were seen as pollution, languages spoken, and political environment. Another ranking of European cities placed Madrid 5th among 25 cities (behind Berlin, London, Paris and Frankfurt), being rated favourably on economic factors and the labour market as well as transport and communication.^[145]

Media and entertainment

Madrid metropolitan area is an important film and television production hub, whose content is distributed throughout the

Viacom International Studios.^{[148][149][150][151]} As of 2019, the film and television industry employs 19,000 people locally (44% of people in Spain working in this industry).^[152]

The

Los 40 Principales, M80 Radio, Cadena Dial) is headquartered in Gran Vía

street in central Madrid.

Besides hosting the main television and radio producers and broadcasters, the metropolitan area hosts most of the major written mass media in Spain,

Europa Press

, founded and headquartered in Madrid since 1953.

Culture

Architecture

Main article: Architecture of Madrid

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Little medieval architecture is preserved in Madrid, mostly in the

Bridge of Segovia and the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales

.

Philip II moved his court to Madrid in 1561 and transformed the town into a capital city. During the Early Hapsburg period, the import of European influences took place, underpinned by the monicker of Austrian style. The Austrian style featured not only Austrian influences but also Italian and Dutch (as well as Spanish), reflecting on the international preeminence of the Habsburgs.^[154] During the second half of the 16th century, the use of pointy slate spires in order to top structures such as church towers was imported to Spain from Central Europe.^[155] Slate spires and roofs consequently became a staple of the Madrilenian architecture at the time.^[156]

Stand out architecture in the city dating back to the early 17th century includes several buildings and structures (most of them attributed to

Plaza Mayor (1617–1619) or the Cárcel de Corte (1629–1641), currently known as the Santa Cruz Palace.^[157] The century also saw the construction of the former City Hall, the Casa de la Villa.^[158]

The Imperial College church model dome was imitated in all of Spain. Pedro de Ribera introduced Churrigueresque architecture to Madrid; the Cuartel del Conde-Duque, the church of Montserrat, and the Bridge of Toledo are among the best examples.

The reign of

Basilica of San Francisco el Grande, the Casa de Correos in Puerta del Sol, the Real Casa de la Aduana, and the General Hospital (which now houses the Reina Sofia Museum and Royal Conservatory of Music). The Paseo del Prado, surrounded by gardens and decorated with neoclassical statues, is an example of urban planning. The Duke of Berwick ordered the construction of the Liria Palace

.

During the early 19th century, the

Congress). The Segovia Viaduct

linked the Royal Alcázar to the southern part of town.

The list of key figures of madrilenian architecture during the 19th and 20th centuries includes authors such as Narciso Pascual y Colomer, Francisco Jareño y Alarcón, Francisco de Cubas, Juan Bautista Lázaro de Diego, Ricardo Velázquez Bosco, Antonio Palacios, Secundino Zuazo, Luis Gutiérrez Soto, Luis Moya Blanco [es] and Alejandro de la Sota.^[159]

From the mid-19th century until the Civil War, Madrid modernised and built new neighbourhoods and monuments. The expansion of Madrid developed under the

Palace of Longoria. Las Ventas Bullring was built, as the Market of San Miguel

(Cast-Iron style).

Following the Francoist takeover that ensued the end of Spanish Civil war, architecture experienced an involution, discarding rationalism and, eclecticism notwithstanding, going back to an overall rather "outmoded" architectural language, with the purpose of turning Madrid into a capital worthy of the "Immortal Spain".

herrerian revival) and the Edificio España (presented as the tallest building in Europe when it was inaugurated in 1953).^[161][160] Many of these buildings distinctly combine the use of brick and stone in the façades.^[160] The Casa Sindical marked a breaking point as it was the first to reassume rationalism, although that relinking to modernity was undertaken through the imitation of the Italian Fascist architecture.^[160]

With the advent of Spanish economic development, skyscrapers, such as

Madrid-Barajas Airport was inaugurated in 2006 and won several architectural awards. Terminal 4 is one of the world's largest terminal areas^[163]

and features glass panes and domes in the roof, which allow natural light to pass through.

Museums and cultural centres

See also: List of museums in Madrid

Prado Museum

)

Madrid is considered one of the top European destinations concerning art museums. Best known is the

Thyssen Bornemisza Museum

.

The Prado Museum (Museo del Prado) is a museum and art gallery that features one of the world's finest collections of European art, from the 12th century to the early 19th century, based on the former

Zurbarán, among others. Some of the standout works exhibited at the museum include Las Meninas, La maja vestida, La maja desnuda, The Garden of Earthly Delights, The Immaculate Conception and The Judgement of Paris

.

The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza) is an art museum that fills the historical gaps in its counterparts' collections: in the Prado's case, this includes Italian primitives and works from the

Expressionists, and European and American paintings from the second half of the 20th century, with over 1,600 paintings.^[165]

The Reina Sofía National Art Museum (Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía; MNCARS) is Madrid's national museum of

The

The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando (Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando) houses a fine art collection of paintings ranging the 15th to 20th centuries. The academy is also the headquarters of the Madrid Academy of Art.^{[n. 2]}

CaixaForum Madrid is a post-modern art gallery in the centre of Madrid, next to the Prado Museum.^[169]

The

Major cultural centres in the city include the Fine Arts Circle (one of Madrid's oldest arts centres and one of the most important private cultural centres in Europe, hosting exhibitions, shows, film screenings, conferences and workshops), the Conde Duque cultural centre or the Matadero Madrid, a cultural complex (formerly an abattoir) located by the river Manzanares. The Matadero, created in 2006 with the aim of "promoting research, production, learning, and diffusion of creative works and contemporary thought in all their manifestations", is considered the third most valued cultural institution in Madrid among art professionals.^[183]

Literature

Madrid has been one of the great centres of

Madrid is home to the Royal Spanish Academy, the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language, which governs, with statutory authority, over Spanish,^[185] preparing, publishing, and updating authoritative reference works on it. The academy's motto (lema, in Spanish) states its purpose: it cleans the language, stabilizes it, and gives it brilliance ("Limpia, fija y da resplendor"). Madrid is also home to another international cultural institution, the Instituto Cervantes, whose task is the promotion and teaching of the Spanish language as well as the dissemination of the culture of Spain and Hispanic America. The National Library of Spain is the largest major public library in Spain. The library's collection consists of more than 26,000,000 items, including 15,000,000 books and other printed materials, 30,000 manuscripts, 143,000 newspapers and serials, 4,500,000 graphic materials, 510,000 music scores, 500,000 maps, 600,000 sound recording, 90,000 audiovisuals, 90,000 electronic documents, more than 500,000 microforms, etc.^[186]

Cuisine

Three squid sandwiches

Patatas bravas, a very common bar snack served as tapa

The Madrilenian cuisine has received plenty of influences from other regions of Spain and its own identity actually relies in its ability to assimilate elements from the immigration.^[187]

The cocido madrileño, a chickpea-based stew, is one of the most emblematic dishes of the Madrilenian cuisine.^[188] The callos a la madrileña [es] is another traditional winter specialty, usually made of cattle tripes.^[189] Other offal dishes typical in the city include the gallinejas [es]^[189] or grilled pig's ear.^[190] Fried squid has become a culinary specialty in Madrid, often consumed in sandwich as bocata de calamares.^[189]

Other generic dishes commonly accepted as part of the Madrilenian cuisine include the

Traditional desserts include torrijas (a variant of French toast consumed in the Easter)^[189][193] and bartolillos [es].^[192]

Nightlife

Madrid is an international hub of highly active and diverse nightlife with bars, dance bars and nightclubs staying open well past midnight.^[194] Madrid is reputed to have a "vibrant nightlife".^[195] Some of the highlight bustling locations include the surroundings of the Plaza de Santa Ana, Malasaña and La Latina (particularly near the Cava Baja [es]).^[195] It is one of the city's main attractions with tapas bars, cocktail bars, clubs, jazz lounges, live music venues and flamenco theatres. Most nightclubs liven up by 1:30 a.m.and stay open until at least 6 a.m.^[195]

Nightlife flourished in the 1980s while Madrid's mayor Enrique Tierno Galván (PSOE) was in office, nurturing the cultural-musical movement known as La Movida.^[196] Nowadays, the Malasaña area is known for its alternative scene.

The area of

Bohemian culture

The city has venues for performing alternative art and expressive art. They are mostly located in the centre of the city, including in Ópera, Antón Martín, Chueca and Malasaña. There are also several festivals in Madrid, including the Festival of Alternative Art, the Festival of the Alternative Scene.^{[198][199][200][201]}

The neighbourhood of Malasaña, as well as Antón Martín and Lavapiés, hosts several bohemian cafés/galleries. These cafés are typified with period or retro furniture or furniture found on the street, a colourful, nontraditional atmosphere inside, and usually art displayed each month by a new artist, often for sale. Cafés include the retro café Lolina and bohemian cafés La Ida, La Paca and Café de la Luz in Malasaña, La Piola in Huertas and Café Olmo and Aguardiente in Lavapiés.

In the neighbourhood of Lavapiés, there are also "hidden houses", which are illegal bars or abandoned spaces where concerts, poetry readings and^{[202][203][204]} the famous Spanish botellón (a street party or gathering that is now illegal but rarely stopped).

Classical music and opera

The Auditorio Nacional de Música

The

The Teatro Monumental is the concert venue of the RTVE Symphony Orchestra.^[210]

Other concert venues for classical music are the Fundación Joan March and the Auditorio 400, devoted to contemporary music.

Feasts and festivals

San Isidro

The local feast par excellence is the Day of Isidore the Laborer (San Isidro Labrador), the patron Saint of Madrid, celebrated on 15 May. It is a public holiday. According to tradition, Isidro was a farmworker and well manufacturer born in Madrid in the late 11th century, who lived a pious life and whose corpse was reportedly found to be incorrupt in 1212. Already very popular among the madrilenian people, as Madrid became the capital of the Hispanic Monarchy in 1561 the city council pulled efforts to promote his canonization; the process started in 1562.^[211] Isidro was beatified in 1619 and the feast day set on 15 May^[212] (he was finally canonized in 1622).^[213]

On 15 May the Madrilenian people gather around the

The Madrilenian LGBT Pride has grown to become the event bringing the most people together in the city each year^[216] as well as one of the most important Pride celebrations worldwide.^[217]

Madrid's Pride Parade began in 1977, in the Chueca neighbourhood, which also marked the beginning of the gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual rights movement after being repressed for forty years in a dictatorship.^[218] This claiming of LGBT rights has allowed the Pride Parade in Madrid to grow year after year, becoming one of the best in the world. In 2007, this was recognised by the European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA) when Madrid hosted EuroPride. It was hailed by the then President of the EPOA as "the best EuroPride in history".^[219] In 2017, Madrid celebrated the 40th anniversary of their first Pride Parade by hosting the WorldPride Madrid 2017. Numerous conferences, seminars and workshops as well as cultural and sports activities took place at the festival, the event being a "kids and family pride" and a source of education. More than one million people attended the pride's central march.^[220] The main purpose of the celebration was presenting Madrid and the Spanish society in general as a multicultural, diverse, and tolerant community.^[218] The 2018 Madrid Pride roughly had 1.5 million participants.^[140]p. 34

Since Spain legalised same-sex marriage in July 2005,^[221] Madrid has become one of the largest hot spots for LGBT culture. With about 500 businesses aimed toward the LGBT community, Madrid has become a "Gateway of Diversity".^[219]

Other

Despite often being labelled as "having no tradition" by foreigners,^[222] the Carnival was popular in Madrid already in the 16th century. However, during the Francoist dictatorship the carnival was under government ban and the feasts suffered a big blow.^[222][223] It has been slowly recovering since then.

Other signalled days include the regional day (2 May) commemorating the Dos de Mayo Uprising (a public holiday), the feasts of San Antonio de la Florida (13 June), the feast of the Virgen de la Paloma (circa 15 August) or the day of the co-patron of Madrid, the Virgin of Almudena (9 November), although the latter's celebrations are rather religious in nature.^[224]

The most important musical event in the city is the Mad Cool festival; created in 2016, it reached an attendance of 240,000 during the three-day long schedule of the 2018 edition.^[140]p. 33

Bullfighting

Madrid hosts the largest plaza de toros (bullring) in Spain, Las Ventas, established in 1929. Las Ventas is considered by many to be the world centre of bullfighting and has a seating capacity of almost 25,000. Madrid's bullfighting season begins in March and ends in October. Bullfights are held every day during the festivities of San Isidro (Madrid's patron saint) from mid May to early June, and every Sunday, and public holiday, the rest of the season. The style of the plaza is Neo-Mudéjar. Las Ventas also hosts music concerts and other events outside of the bullfighting season. There is great controversy in Madrid with bullfighting.^{[failed verification][225]}

Sport

Football

Real Madrid, founded in 1902, compete in La Liga and play their home games at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The club is one of the most widely supported teams in the world and their supporters are referred to as Madridistas or Merengues (Meringues). Real's supporters in Madrid are often believed to be constituted principally of members of the middle classes, however, this claim is in dispute and has not been proved. It has also been suggested that a large proportion of Real Madrid's fans are members of the working class.^[226] The club was selected as the best club of the 20th century, being the fifth most valuable sports club in the world and the most successful Spanish football club with a total of 100 official titles (this includes a record 14 European Cups and a record 35 La Ligas).

Atlético Madrid, founded in 1903, also compete in La Liga and play their home games at the Metropolitano Stadium. The club is well-supported in the city, having the third national fan base in Spain and their supporters are referred to as Atléticos or Colchoneros (The Mattressers). Atlético is believed to draw its support mostly from working class citizens.^[227] The club is considered an elite European team, having won three UEFA Europa League titles and reached three European Cup finals. Domestically, Atletico have won eleven league titles and ten Copa del Reys.

Rayo Vallecano, founded in 1924, are the third most important football team of the city, based in the Vallecas neighborhood. They currently compete in La Liga, having secured promotion in 2021. The club's fans tend to be very left-wing and are known as Buccaneers.

Getafe CF, founded in 1983, also compete in La Liga and play their home games at the Estadio Coliseum. The club was promoted to La Liga for the first time in 2004, and participated in the top level of Spanish football for twelve years between 2004 and 2016, and again since 2017.

Real Madrid Baloncesto, founded in 1931, compete in Liga ACB and play their home games at the Palacio de Deportes (WiZink Center). Real Madrid's basketball section, similarly to its football team, is the most successful team in Europe, with a record 11 EuroLeague titles. Domestically, they have clinched a record 36 league titles and a record 28 Copa del Reys.

Club Baloncesto Estudiantes, founded in 1948, compete in LEB Oro and also play their home games at the Palacio de Deportes (WiZink Center). Until 2021, Estudiantes was one of only three teams that have never been relegated from Spain's top division. Historically, its achievements include three cup titles and four league runners-up placements.

Madrid has hosted six European Cup/EuroLeague finals, the last two at the Palacio de Deportes. The city also hosted the final matches for the 1986 and 2014 FIBA World Cups, and the EuroBasket 2007 final (all held at the Palacio de Deportes).

Events

Education in Spain is free, and compulsory from 6 to 16 years. The education system is called LOE (Ley Orgánica de Educación).^[230]

Universities

Madrid is home to many public and private universities. Some of them are among the oldest in the world, and many of them are the most prestigious universities in Spain.

The

The

The

The Autonomous University of Madrid (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; UAM) was instituted under the leadership of the physicist, Nicolás Cabrera. The Autonomous University is widely recognised for its research strengths in theoretical physics. Known simply as La Autónoma by locals, its main site is the Cantoblanco Campus, located at the North of the municipality, close to its boundaries with the neighbouring municipalities of Alcobendas, San Sebastián de los Reyes and Tres Cantos.

Located on the main site are the Rectorate building and the Faculties of Science, Philosophy and Fine Arts, Law, Economic Science and Business Studies, Psychology, Higher School of Computing Science and Engineering, and the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education. The UAM is considered the institution to study law in Spain,^{[according to whom?][234]} The Medical School is sited outside the main site and beside the Hospital Universitario La Paz.^[235]

The private Comillas Pontifical University (Universidad Pontificia Comillas; UPC) has its rectorate and several faculties in Madrid. The private Nebrija University is also based in Madrid. Some of the big public universities headquartered in the surrounding municipalities also have secondary campuses in Madrid proper: it is the case of the Charles III University of Madrid (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid; UC3M) with its main site in Getafe and an educational facility in Embajadores (after signing a deal with the regional government and the city council in 2011)^[236] and the King Juan Carlos University (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos; URJC) having its main site in Móstoles and a secondary campus in Vicálvaro. The private Camilo José Cela University (Universidad Camilo José Cela; UCJC) has a postgrade school in Chamberí.

Business schools

Other Madrid business schools and universities that have MBA programs include: EAE Business School (in English and Spanish), the Charles III University of Madrid through the Centro de Ampliación de Estudios (in English or Spanish); the Comillas Pontifical University (in Spanish only) and the Technical University of Madrid (in Spanish only).

Transport

In 2018, Madrid banned all non-resident vehicles from its downtown areas.^[238][239]

Madrid is served by several roads and three modes of public surface transport, and two airports, one of them being almost two different airports. A great many important road, rail and air links converge on the capital, providing effective connections with other parts of the metropolitan region and with the rest of Spain and other parts of Europe.

In the 1960s, sweeping urban reforms were promoted to accommodate Madrid to the private car (most notably the removal of boulevards and the incorporation of overpasses), in some ways similarly to other European cities, but in the distinct context of poverty of public debate, which was limited by a dictatorship putting its own interests and those of its clientelist networks before other concerns when it came to alter the urban fabric, thereby marginizalizing the pedestrian.^[240]

Road transport

Madrid Central

Cars (except for hybrid and electric vehicles as well as residents and guests) were banned in the Madrid Central low-emission zone in 2018.^[241][242] Pollution in the area dropped following the ban.^[243][241] In 2016 it was announced that Madrid will stop the use of all diesel powered cars and trucks within the next decade.^[244]

Radial roads

Madrid is the centre of the most important roads of Spain. Already in 1720, the Reglamento General de Postas enacted by Philip V configurated the basis of a radial system of roads in the country.^[245]

Madrid features a number of the most prominent

, is also part of the State Network.

The

Puerto de Navacerrada. It is a fast dualled highway in its initial stretch from Madrid to Colmenar Viejo, and part of the Regional Road Network [es

] (in relation to the concerning administration, not to the technical features of the road).

Due to the large amount of traffic, new toll highways were built parallel to the main national freeways. Their names are R-2 [es], R-3, R-4 and R-5 [es] and they were intended to provide a paid alternative to the often overcrowded free radials. However, except the R-3, they do not end close to the M-30 innermost ring road, as the R-2 finishes in the M-40, the R-4 in the M-50 and the R-5 in the M-40.

Orbital roads

Also Madrid road network includes four orbital ones at different distances from the centre. The innermost ring-road, the

Manzanares

, with tunnel sections of more than 6 km (3.7 mi) in length and 3 to 6 lanes in each direction.

The second ring-road, the M-40 (part of the State Road Network) circles the city, while also extending to other surrounding municipalities. A NW stretch of the road runs underground, below the southern reaches of the Monte de El Pardo protected area.

The M-45 partially circles the city, connecting the M-40 and M-50, passing through areas like Villaverde and Vallecas in the South-East of the municipality.

The

M-50, the Madrid's outer ring road, connects municipalities and cities in the metropolitan area, like Fuenlabrada, Móstoles, Getafe, Leganés in the South and Boadilla del Monte and Las Rozas

in the West.

Public transport

Map of the Madrid Metro

Cercanías Madrid map

There are four major components of public transport, with many intermodal interchanges. The Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid (CRTM) coordinates the public transport operations across multiple providers in the region,^[246][247] harmonizing fares for the commuter rail, rapid transit, light rail and bus transport services provided by different operators.

Metro

Main article: Madrid Metro

The Metro is the

London) at 294 km (183 mi). As of 2019^[update], it has 302 stations.^[249] Only the Métro of Paris has more stations. It features 13 lines; 12 of them are colour-coded and numbered 1 to 12 (Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 4, Line 5, Line 6, Line 7, Line 8, Line 9, Line 10, Line 11 and Line 12), while the other one, the short Ramal (R), links Ópera to Príncipe Pío.^[248]

Cercanías

Main article: Cercanías Madrid

Cercanías Madrid is the commuter rail service used for longer distances from the suburbs and beyond into Madrid, consisting of nine lines totalling 578 km (359 mi) and more than 90 stations. With fewer stops inside the centre of the city they are faster than the Metro, but run less frequently. This system is connected with Metro (presently 22 stations) and Light Metro. The lines are named: C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, C-5, C-7, C-8, C-9, C-10, respectively.

Buses

There is a dense network of bus routes, run by the municipal company Empresa Municipal de Transportes (or EMT Madrid), which operates 24 hours a day; special services called "N lines" are run during nighttime. The special Airport Express Shuttle line connecting the airport with the city centre features distinctively yellow buses. In addition to the urban lines operated by the EMT, the green buses (interurbanos) connect the city with the suburbs. The later lines, while also regulated by the CRTM, are often run by private operators.

Almost half of all journeys in the metropolitan area are made on public transport, a very high proportion compared with most European cities.^{[132]: 62–4} Madrid has 15723 taxis around all the city.

Taxi

The taxicabs are regulated by a specific sub-division of taxi service, a body dependent of the

Madrid City Council. The authorisation entails a badge for the vehicle and a license for the driver, who has to be older than 18.^[250] Since the 1970s, the fleet of taxis has remained stable roughly around 16,000 vehicles, accounting for 15,600 in 2014.^[251]

Long-distance transport

Madrid Atocha

station

In terms of longer-distance transport, Madrid is the central node of the system of autovías, giving the city direct fast road links with most parts of Spain and with France and Portugal. It is also the focal point of one of the world's three largest high-speed rail systems, Alta Velocidad Española (AVE), which has brought major cities such as Seville and Barcelona within 2.5 hours travel time. There are now 2,900 km (1,800 mi) of AVE track, connecting Madrid with 17 provincial capitals, and further lines are under construction.^{[132]: 72–75}

Also Spain business are designing new high speed trains which will be the new generation AVE like Talgo AVRIL.

Aside from the local and regional bus commuting services, Madrid is also a node for long-distance bus connections to plenty of national destinations. The Estación Sur de Autobuses [es] in Méndez Álvaro, the busiest bus station in the country,^[252] also features international bus connections to cities in Morocco as well as to diverse European destinations.^[252]

Airport

Main article:

Madrid-Barajas Airport

Madrid is also home to the Madrid-Barajas Airport, the sixth-largest airport in Europe, handling over 60 million passengers annually, of whom 70% are international travellers, in addition to the majority of Spain's

People Mover

System (AMP) train.

The smaller (and older)

Cuatro Vientos Airport has a dual military-civilian use and hosts several aviation schools. The Torrejón Air Base, located in the neighbouring municipality of Torrejón de Ardoz

, also has a secondary civilian use aside from the military purpose.

International relations

Diplomacy

Madrid hosts 121 foreign embassies accredited before Spain,^[254] comprising the totality of resident embassies in the country. The headquarters of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation and the Diplomatic School are also located in the city.

International organizations

Madrid hosts the seat of international organizations such as the United Nations'

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI), the International Youth Organism for Iberoamerica [es] (OIJ), the Ibero-American Organization of Social Security [es] (OISS), the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), the Club of Madrid and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas

(ICCAT).

Twin towns and sister cities

Madrid has reached twin towns, sister city 'agreements' (acuerdos) with:[255]

• Tokyo, Japan (1965)^[255]
• Seoul, South Korea (1978)^[255]
• Lisbon, Portugal (1979)^[255]
• Panama City, Panama (1980)^[255]
• New York, United States (1982)^[255]
• Malabo, Equatorial Guinea (1982)^[255]
• Bordeaux, France (1984)^[255][256]
• Nouakchott, Mauritania (1986)^[255]
• Berlin, Germany (1988)^[255]
• Manila, Philippines (2005)^[255]
• Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (2007)^[255]
• Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (2007)^[255]
• Miami, United States (2014)^[255]

Madrid has reached twin towns, sister city 'minutes' (actas) with:^[255]

• Rabat, Morocco (1988)^[255]
• Tripoli, Libya (1988)^[255]

Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities

Madrid is part of the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities^[257] establishing brotherly relations with the following cities through the issuing of a collective statement in October 1982:

• Asunción, Paraguay
• Bogotá, Colombia
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Caracas, Venezuela
• Guatemala City, Guatemala
• Havana, Cuba
• La Paz, Bolivia
• Lima, Peru
• Lisbon, Portugal
• Managua, Nicaragua
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Montevideo, Uruguay
• Panama City, Panama
• Quito, Ecuador
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• San Jose
  , Costa Rica
• San Juan
  , Puerto Rico
• San Salvador, El Salvador
• Santiago, Chile
• Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
• Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Other city partnerships

• Athens, Greece^[255]
• Beijing, China^[255]
• Belgrade, Serbia^[255]
• Brasilia, Brazil^[255]
• Brussels, Belgium^[255]
• Budapest, Hungary^[255]
• Cebu City, Philippines^[255]
• Chongqing, China^[255]
• Davao City, Philippines^[255]
• Guadalajara, Mexico^[255]
• Kathmandu, Nepal^[255]
• Lumbini, Nepal^[255]
• Moscow, Russia^[255]
• Paris, France^[255]
• Prague, Czech Republic^[255]
• Rome, Italy^[255]
• Sofia, Bulgaria^[255]
• Sucre, Bolivia^[255]
• Warsaw, Poland^[255]
• Zamboanga City, Philippines^[255]

• Casablanca, Morocco^[255]

Partnerships with international organizations

• C-40 Cities (C40)^[255]
• International Labour Organization (OIT)^[255]
• Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB)^[255]
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)^[255]
• United Nations Human Settlements Programme (ONU-HABITAT)^[255]

Notable people

Main articles: List of people from Madrid and List of predilect and adoptive sons and daughters of Madrid

Honours

• Madrid Dome in Aristotle Mountains, Graham Land, in Antarctica, is named after the city.^[258]

See also

• C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
• Madrid Conference of 1991
• Mayor of Madrid
• List of tallest buildings in Madrid
• OPENCities
• List of films set in Madrid

References

Footnotes

1. ^ Alternative pronunciations going roughly as IPA: [maˈðɾi] and [maˈðɾiθ] ^ⓘ are also locally common (particularly the former), both coexisting with the standard pronunciation,^[6] although [maˈðɾiθ] (Madriz) is considered vulgar.^[7] Madriz experienced a revitalization with a "folksy" origin.^[6]
2. ^ Francisco Goya was once one of the academy's directors, and its alumni include Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Antonio López García, Juan Luna, and Fernando Botero.^[167][168]

Citations