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| Madrid, 06/07/2008 |
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| Madrid, culture and leisure capital. |
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| When the Court was established
in Madrid at the time of Philip II (1561),
the small town became the capital of
a vast Empire in which the sun
never set. From that moment
onwards, there commenced the construction
of churches and convents, palaces and
other monumental civil buildings, which
currently form part of what is known
as the Madrid of the Hapsburgs,
in the area surrounding the Plaza Mayor,
one of the city’s tourist areas
par excellence (the Monastery
of the Encarnación, the Monastery
of the Descalzas Reales, Plaza de la
Villa). |
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| During the
18th and 19th centuries, Madrid developed
on a grand scale. The new airs of the
Enlightenment and the artistic enthusiasm
of monarchs like Philip V and Charles
III left behind monuments such as the
Royal
Palace and the Sabatini Gardens,
the Fine
Arts Academy, the Prado
Museum, the Botanical
Gardens, etc. Monuments, gardens,
squares and fountains that make up Madrid
of the Bourbons. |
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| This extremely
important artistic legacy, which is
reflected in so many monuments and museums
in and around the city, exists in harmony
with modern Madrid (3,000,000 inhabitants)
of the 21st century, the political,
cultural, economic and financial capital
of Spain. The city is experiencing a
period of cutting-edge urban development
which is equipping it with a state-of-the-art
transport infrastructure; for example,
the expansion of Barajas International
Airport, new Underground lines, and
the extension of the high-speed train
line (AVE), which includes a connection
with Zaragoza (2003) and Barcelona (2004). |
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| The hectic
pace of the Madrid business world co-exists
alongside an infinite number of possibilities
for leisure and fun. Billboards are
overflowing with opera, theatre, musical
comedies and flamenco shows, which are
complemented by music and dance festivals
in the summer and the autumn. The tempting
pleasures of eating
and shopping
join those of the nightlife
of a city which is famous for being
one of the liveliest in the world due
to its ever-increasing leisure offer
and more especially to the happy and
easy-going lifestyle of Madrid’s
citizens. The capital city also has
a lot to offer family tourism, such
as the Amusement
Park, Zoo-Aquarium,
Planetarium,
Warner Park, Imax
Madrid and Faunia
biologic park. |
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| The new
Madrid Card will enable
you to enjoy many of these possibilities.
Have fun! |
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