traveldk.com

Villena’s novel Madrid ha muerto (Madrid has died) , published in 1999, points out the scene’s darker side, as youthful hopes and ideals give way to disillusionment.

With Pedro Velarde, Daoíz led the insurrection against the French in 1808 and died in the fighting.

In 1982 this flagship magazine of the movida first appeared, and the city held its first carnival since Franco.

Three months into the Spanish Civil War General Franco’s Nationalist army surrounded Madrid. Republican resistance was fierce and the siege dragged on for two-and-a-half years, the city finally falling to the rebels in March 1939.

This Sierra town is dominated by its well-preserved 15th-century castle. Almost as old is the church of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves (Our Lady of the Snows) with its 30-m (100-ft) high belltower. Hikers flock to Manzanares to enjoy the La Pedriza regional park with its massive granite boulders.

Madrid thrived during the reign of Carlos III (1759–88). He gave the city magnificent gateways such as the Puerta de Alcalá and imposing thoroughfares such as the Paseo del Prado . Streets were paved and lit, sewers were dug and nightwatchmen introduced. He became known as El Rey-Alcalde (the Mayor-King).

One of Spain’s best known pop bands of the movida was formed by brothers José and Nacho Cano, and singer Ana Torroja. They hit the big time after persuading a Madrid radio station to play their first single.

It was La Unión y el Fénix insurance company, the original owners of this Madrid landmark, who commissioned the striking statue on the cupola. Known as “Ave Fenix” , it represents the fabled Egyptian bird which died on a funeral pyre but rose from the flames once every 500 years. When the Metrópolis company moved into the building, they inherited the sculpture which then lost its significance (see Metrópolis).

The convent was founded in 1611 by Margarita de Austria, wife of Felipe III, for daughters of the nobility. It was also the church of the Alcázar – a picture gallery linked the two buildings. Unfortunately, when the castle was destroyed by fire in 1734 the conflagration spread to the convent and many of its treasures were lost. A great deal remains however: 17th-century paintings by Ribera and Lucas Jordan; impressive sculptures, such as Christ Recumbent by Gregorio Fernández; embroidered vestments and liturgical gold and silverware. The guided tour takes in the cloister with its decoration of Talavera azulejos ; the reliquary, where visitors are shown the phial containing the congealed blood of St Pantaleon; the carved stalls in the choir; and the church, designed by Ventura Rodríguez.

This 16-century former royal palace and convent is a treasure trove of art and sculpture (see Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales).