Majestically sitting 2,135 feet above the sea level of the Mediterranean, Madrid gloriously holds the record of the highest capital in Europe. This stunningly beautiful city greets the traveler like a long-lost relative. Claiming “the next best place after Madrid is heaven,” the city has a way of really making the foreigner feel at home.
YOUNGEST CAPITAL
In 1561, King Philip II proclaimed Madrid the capital of Spain and all her colonies. The simple reason for his choice was because of the healthy air and brilliant skies and because it was located in the center of the Peninsula. One of the youngest capitals of Europe, Madrid grew fast and places built on the outskirts soon became a part of the middle of the town.
THE “VILLA”
The city has grown into a sophisticated metropolis of over 4.5 million people. Even with its skyscrapers, high fashion and superb technology, Madrid still refers to itself as a “villa” or town. Its official name during the 16th century was “Very Noble, Loyal, Heroic, Imperial and Distinguished Village and Court of Madrid, Capital of Spain.”
A PLACE CALLED MAGERIT
The beginning of medieval Moorish Madrid is sketchy, and as legend would have it in 852, the Emir of Cordoba Muhammad I chose the lofty ravine atop the Manzanares River, as a site for a castle to guard against Christians who were trying to re-conquer the area. The Moors called the village Magerit, which meant “plentiful flowing water.” The Castillians later mispronounced Magerit as Madrid and the name held.
THE GOLDEN AGE OF LITERATURE
Christian forces led by King Alfonso VI again occupied and held Madrid in 1083 and used the castle as his headquarters.
King Philip II of the Hapsburg House of Austria was responsible for moving the capital and court from Toledo to Madrid. While he ruled from 1556 to 1598 and with his 17th-century successors, Madrid de los Austria or the Madrid of the Hapsburgs was built.
A GLORIOUS CASTLE
The Hapsburg dynasty faded out at the end of the 17th century, King Philip V, grandson of France’s King Louis XIV, claimed the throne and established the Bourbon dynasty in 1770. When the Alcazar (castle) burned down on Christmas Eve 1734, he commissioned architects to rebuild a palace that could be compared to Versailles. It took 26 years to rebuild with 13-foot thick walls, more than 2,800 rooms and 23 courtyards. Carlos III was the first royal resident.
THE MODEL CITY
Avenues were widened, large squares were set up and Madrid was transformed into a model city of the Enlightenment, known as the Madrid of the Bourbons. King Carlos III, “the Construction King of the Enlightenment.” Carlos III was affectionately known as the “King-Mayor” and left a legacy of beautiful fountains and monuments.
INVASION AND INDEPENDENCE
Napoleon invaded Madrid in 1808 and the executions of the resisters on May 2, 1808 were immortalized by Goya in a famous painting seen in the Prado. A memorial obelisk with an eternal flame honors those that died. France’s victory was short lived; in 1813 the French were defeated in the Spanish War of Independence and the throne returned to a Bourbon King Fernando VII.
DEMOCRACY
The early part of the 20th century was a rocky time for Spain and the 40 years of Franco’s dictatorship stifled freedom and with that creativity and growth. Franco’s death in 1975 was like a cue to develop and enjoy a democratic form of government. This is a city that exudes a joie de vie that is not found anywhere else.
