The population of Madrid is 2,957,058 (city) with over 5,086,635 people in the metropolitan area. The city is spread over 236 square miles and is at an elevation of 2150' putting it at one of the highest elevations for a major European city. The climate varies according to season with warm dry summers and cool winters. Typical seasonal averages between 48F-90F (extremes can be colder or hotter) with many sunny days. Typical rainfall is less then 24"/yr. The predominant language here is Castellano Spanish. This is the language brought and taught in the Americas by the Spaniards. Similiar to other portions of Europe, many people also speak English.

Madrid has many tourist attractions. Many of these attractions are also of cultural and historical significance. Numerous museums (30) feature the Prado, one of the most famous museums in the world. It has many works including those by El Greco, Goya and Velãzquez. Other museums are the National Archaeological Museum, National Science Museum and the Museum of the Spanish People. Architecture attractions include the huge Palacio Real, started in the early 1700s, Plaza Mayor (1617), Puerta del Sol (traditional center) and numerous statues and monuments throughout the city. It is also famous for churches and cathedrals which includes the 18th century San Francisco el Grande. There are many parks such as the Parque Retiro which is a huge park in the middle of the city and next to the Prado. As a higher education center, Madrid features the Pontifical University, the Autonomous University of Madrid and the Royal Academy of Music.

Serviced by a major airport, Madrid's Barajas airport is expanding and lies 13km (8mi) north-east of the city. The metro is a good way to get around the city. The M-40 is the major highway that circles the city.

Madrid's economy leads Spain in the areas of financial, administrative and as a transportation center. 2nd to Barcelona in industrial output, the city and province produce such products as motor vehicles, aircraft, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. This also includes processed food, printed materials and leather goods. The city has a thriving tourist industry, as Spain is one the top tourist destinations in the world.

The emir of Córdoba established a fortress on the future site of Madrid in 854. Known as Magerit, it was one of a string of forts across the frontier land between Al-Andalus in the south and the Christian kingdoms to the north. Madrid's Muslim era came to a close in 1085 when hegemony over the region was handed to King Alfonso VI of Castile. Felipe II appointed Madrid the permanent seat of the royal court in 1561. Although underdeveloped, Madrid offered plenty of room for expansion, as befitted the capital of an empire. Despite this, Felipe did not develop his new capital. It remained a chaotic medieval city for its 25,000 inhabitants. Over the next century, Spain declined by a succession of wars despite the river of gold shipped in from the Americas. Increasingly, the country's rulers retreated to their capital where they created sumptuous palaces and churches. Designed to impress foreign visitors to the capital, the average person lived in squalor. Madrid became a city of immigrants, with the population expanding to 150,000 by 1656. Habsburg Spain came to an end in 1700 with the death of the sickly Carlos II. A succession of reformist rulers saw Madrid gain, but attempts at land reform failed, with the region continuing to be an essentially poor country ruled by a big-spending royal court. This led to the final decline of the crushing of Spain by Britain in the epic Battle of Trafalgar of 1805, the loss of its American colonies, Napoleon's occupation of Spain and the ensuing Peninsula War for independence. All of these events left the city exhausted and facing starvation. Politically, with alternating coups between conservative and liberal wings of the army, the shortlived republic of 1873 and the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in 1875, Spain ended the century ignominiously, losing its navy and remaining colonies (Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines) to the USA. A repressive six-year coup was finally ended by Alfonso XIII in 1930, and the ensuing elections saw a coalition of republicans and socialists carry the nation. The second republic was proclaimed with many reforms and Madrid officially recognised as the capital of the Spanish state. Party infighting and strikes led to the bloody suppression of a miners' revolt by troops under General Francisco Franco. The country became poised between the right and left. Three years of bloody civil war were inaugurated in July 1936 by Franco. Madrid held the nationalists at bay until the surrender of March 1939, with fighting heaviest in the north-west of the city. Backed and armed by Nazi Germany, Francos forces tested much of the weapons that Hitler would soon unleash on the rest of the world. Still, Spain remained neutral during most of WWII. Franco died in 1975, having earlier named Juan Carlos, the grandson of Alfonso XIII, his successor. With King Juan Carlos on the throne, Spain made the transition from dictatorship to democracy with the appointment of a moderate conservative government. Opposition parties and trade unions were legalised, and a new constitution was written. Madrid's first free municipal elections were held in 1979, and power has since been shuffled between left-wing and right-of-centre councils. Madrid and most of Spain are considered politically stable. Recent years have seen the revival of artistic and cultural activity in the city, the restoration of the old centre, and improved public transport and public housing.

The oldest quarters are squeezed in between Paseo del Prado and the Palacio Real to the west. In between, the barrios south-east of Puerta del Sol leading to the working-class district of Lavapiés are filled with restaurants, bars and cafes. The densest concentration can be found around Puerta del Sol, Plaza de Santa Ana and the barrios of Malasaña and Chueca (for pensiones and hostales), and along the Gran Vía (hotels). Madrid is a city that has huge festivals in May. The Fiesta de la Comunidad de Madrid (2 May) and Fiestas de San Isidro (15 May). The city's nightlife is remarkably lively and Madrid is a happening city. Like much of Spain, Madrid can often be livelier at 4AM then 4PM. Bullfights are still offered in the city. The Plaza de Toros Monumental de Las Ventas, the world's biggest bullfighting ring season kicks off in February, and there are small local corridas throughout summer and spring. The main event on the bullfighting calendar is the mid-May feria, the four weeks of bloodletting that are part of the festival of San Isidro. If bullfighting isn't to your liking, I highly suggest taking in a Flamenco show to experience some local culture unique to Madrid and Spain.

All pictures on this page are from Madrid, Spain, using various film and digital cameras.

Plaza Mayor.
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Plaza Mayor.
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City Square.
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Palacio Real. This Italianate Baroque colossus of some 2800 rooms was begun by Felipe V following the destruction by fire of its forerunner, the Alcázar, in 1734. Around 50 rooms are open to visitors
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A closer shot of the Palacio Real.
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Palacio de Comunicaciones.
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Puerta de Alcala.
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The Tribunal Supremc Building in Madrid.
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A wing from the Museo del Prado.
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At the Parque Buen Retiro, the statue of Alfonso XII overlooks the Estanque del Retiro.
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Further information can be found at the Madrid Lonely Planet page
Madrid Luxury Travel page.