Page 275 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Spain

M ADRID  273

OLD MADRID

When Felipe II chose Madrid as his capital When this burned down in 1734, it was
in 1561, it was a small Castilian town of little replaced by the present Bourbon palace,
real significance. In the following years, it the Palacio Real.
was to grow into the nerve centre of a The population had scarcely reached
mighty empire. 20,000 when Madrid was chosen as capital,
According to tradition, it was the Moorish but by the end of the century it had more
chieftain Muhammad ben Abd al Rahman than trebled. The 16th-century city is known
who established a fortress above the Río as the “Madrid de los Austrias”, after the
Manzanares. Magerit, as it was called in reigning Habsburg dynasty. During this
Arabic, fell to Alfonso VI of Castile between period royal monasteries were endowed and
1083 and 1086. Narrow streets with houses churches and private palaces were built. In
and medieval churches began to grow up the 17th century, the Plaza Mayor was added
on the higher ground behind the old Arab and the Puerta del Sol, the “Gate of the Sun”,
alcázar (fortress), which was replaced by became the spiritual and geographical heart
a Gothic palace in the 15th century. not only of Madrid but of all Spain.

Sights at a Glance
Historic Buildings Streets, Squares and Parks
9 Palacio Real pp280–81 1 Puerta del Sol
3 Plaza de la Villa
Museums and Galleries 4 Plaza Mayor
r Real Academia de Bellas Artes 6 Plaza de Oriente
de San Fernando 8 Campo del Moro
Churches and Convents q Plaza de España
2 Colegiata de San Isidro w Gran Vía See also Madrid Street Finder,
5 Iglesia de San Nicolás de Bari maps 1, 2, 3, 4, 7
7 Catedral de la Almudena
0 Monasterio de la Encarnación
e Monasterio de las
Descalzas Reales

CALLE DE VENTURA PRINCESA
RODRIGUEZ
CALLE DE LA
Plaza
España
0 metres
0 yards 500 500
CALLE
DE FERRAZ
GRAN
Santo
CUESTA DE SAN VICENTE DEL RELOJ Domingo VIA
CALLE
CALLE DE
Príncipe C. DE TORIJA JACOMETREZO
Pío PLAZA DE GR A N VI A
Gran Vía
S. DOMINGO S. MARTIN Callao CALLE DE PRECIADOS PLAZA DEL CALLE DE CALLE ADUANA GRAN VIA
PASEO DE LA VIRGEN DEL PUERTO CAMPO DEL PLAZA DE CALLE DE BAILEN AUSTRIAS MAYOR MAYOR SOL Sol JERONIMO Sevilla ALCALA
JARDINES DEL
CENTRO
CALLE
LA MONTERA
PALACIO REAL
JARDINES
CARMEN
PLAZA DE
PLAZA DE
ISABEL II
CALLE DE
Opera
MORO
ARMAS
PLAZA DE
C. DE SAN
PLAZA DE
CALLE DEL ARENAL
SAN GINES
RAMALES
CALLE MAYOR
PLAZA DE LOS
HERRADORES
CALLE DE LA CRUZ
CALLE DE
SANTIAGO
PLAZA
CALLE
PASEO DE LA
CIUDAD DE PLASENCIA
PLAZA DEL
CONDE
C. DE LA BOLSA
PARQUE DE ATENAS
PRINCIPE
CALLE DEL
JERONIMA
CALLE DE SEGOVIA CALLE SACRAMENTO DE MIRANDA C. DE CONCEPCIO N CALLE DE ATOCHA CALLE DEL
DE SEGOVIA CALLE DE TO LEDO LA COLEGIATA
CALLE DE
Tirso
de Molina
Elegant stone fountain in Campo del Moro park with the Palacio Real behind For keys to symbols see back flap
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