More to Know about Madrid, Spain
Sep 20th, 2007 by bally chohan
Madrid became Spain’s capital simply through its geographical position at the centre of Iberia. When Felipe II moved the seat of government here in 1561 his aim was to create a symbol of the unification and centralization of the country, and a capital from which he could receive the fastest post and communications from each corner of the nation. Nonetheless, it was a success, and today Madrid is a vast, predominantly modern city, with a population of some three million and growing.
The journey in – through a stream of concrete-block suburbs, streets are of medieval buildings and narrow, atmospheric alleys, dotted with the oddest of shops and bars, and interspersed with eighteenth-century Bourbon squares. By comparison with the historic cities of Spain – Toledo, Salamanca, Sevilla, Granada – there may be few sights of great architectural interest, but the monarchs did acquire outstanding picture collections, which formed the basis of the Prado museum.